Marks & Spencer is launching a £70 leather tote modelled on its 1970s St Michael carrier bag in a collaboration with London streetwear label Aries.
The high street retailer is reviving its heritage St Michael brand through a nostalgia-filled 26-piece capsule collection designed to appeal to younger shoppers.
The standout item of the range is a vintage-inspired tote made from butter-soft leather, styled after the distinctive green and gold plastic packaging M&S used decades ago.
The streetwear brand Aries, founded in 2012, is known for combining high fashion with skate culture and punk aesthetics, and counts Dua Lipa and Zendaya among its celebrity followers.
Heritage branding and carrier bag collectors
The St Michael label flourished from the 1970s until 2000, when M&S scrapped it during a corporate overhaul. The brand has experienced a resurgence among Gen Z consumers buying vintage items on the resale platform Vinted.
Original plastic St Michael carrier bags, which were once given away free at checkout counters, have become collectors' items selling for up to £10 each on eBay.
Named after M&S co-founder Michael Marks, the St Michael line carried a 'Quality Promise' that established a standard of clothing some customers believe has not been matched since. The original range was known for wool jumpers, school trousers, classic-cut jersey dresses, socks, and nylon underwear with stitched fabric tags.
Historical motifs and designer precedent
The new capsule collection updates those traditions with quirky tailored outfits, knitwear, lingerie, cropped T-shirts, sportswear, and knickers. Designs feature heritage crests, coin motifs, sporting emblems, and collegiate references alongside Aries' signature logo.
The collection also includes a white T-shirt featuring M&S mascot Spencer Bear. Other pieces pay tribute to the retailer's beginnings at Leeds Kirkgate Market in 1884 as the Penny Bazaar, where all goods on the stall cost a penny each.
High fashion brands taking inspiration from everyday retail packaging is a growing trend. In 2024, French luxury house Balenciaga released its £1,000 Antwerp tote resembling supermarket chain Iceland's £1.75 bag for life, following its earlier Arena bag which mirrored blue Ikea shopping bags.
Release date and price points
The collaboration launches on August 20, offering Aries fans products that are markedly cheaper than the label's standard line. While a typical Aries sweatshirt costs £200, the pink M&S version will cost around £45.
Similarly, the Spencer Bear T-shirt will cost £30, compared to £85 for a standard Aries top. M&S hopes courting younger shoppers with lower prices will secure a successful launch.
