ITV has again teamed with Marks & Spencer on a new series of fashion competition series, M&S: Dress The Nation.
Produced by South Shore and again hosted by AJ Odudu and Vernon Kay, the series will TX on ITV1 and ITVX this Autumn.
In the show, M&S looks for the UK’s best emerging fashion designers. The new series focusses on womenswear and menswear, and documents the search process over the course of five 60-minute episodes, welcoming contestants from up and down the nation. Nine candidates, ranging from ages 22 to 59, will compete to secure an exclusive mentorship with M&S where they will work with some of the best in the industry across Design, Buying, Merchandising and Marketing. In addition, the winner will also have the opportunity to see their design sold exclusively in selected M&S stores and online for the AW25 season.
Maddy Evans, Head of M&S Woman and Mitch Hughes, Menswear Director return to the judging panel as they cast their expert eye over the designs, where they will also be joined by a host of M&S ambassadors and celebrity judges, as well as some of the UK’s leading fashion designers.
Stuart Machin, CEO of Marks & Spencer said: “At M&S we’ve spent the last three years improving our womenswear and menswear to be more stylish, even better quality and great value. To do this, we have attracted some of the best fashion talent in the UK to join our team, as well as developing our own brilliant in-house talent. With Dress The Nation, I wanted to show what our M&S designers look for and what it takes to create desirable fashion, with the aim of inspiring more would-be designers to consider a career in this wonderful world of fashion, no matter what their background or formal qualifications.”
Katie Rawcliffe, Director of Entertainment & Daytime ITV said: “We’re so excited to bring Dress The Nation back to ITV1 and ITVX for a second series. A series which celebrates real people with real talent. At its core, it’s about creativity and opportunity, opening up the fashion world to new voices and perspectives. Viewers really connected with that last year, and this new series promises to be even bigger, bolder and more inspiring.”
Bhavit Chandrani, Director of BE Studio at ITV, said: “I’m delighted that Dress The Nation is returning for another series. The programme shows the power of commercial collaboration through BE Studio, delivering Ad Funded Entertainment that resonates with ITV viewers and offers a unique way for M&S to connect with its audience.”
Melanie Leach, joint CEO, at South Shore said: “Dress The Nation is a very special show – one that offers a genuinely life changing opportunity to the winning contestant. We’re thrilled to be working with M&S and ITV to offer nine more hopefuls the chance to break into fashion at Britain’s most trusted retailer.”
Staff Reporter
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