The high street brand has unveiled its new collection in collaboration with London designer Bella Freud, and it’s filled with a perfect blend of statement hand-drawn knit designs, and chic wardrobe essentials. Naturally, we want every single item.
Prepare to see pieces from this collection being sported here, there and everywhere this season.
Made up of 27 capsule pieces, the Bella Freud x M&S collection features preppy separates like blouses and blazers reminiscent of a much more stylish school uniform, soft cashmere knits emblazoned with Freud’s signature slogans, and tailoring so crisp it could cut you. Oh, and we are absolutely all about the oversized mohair striped scarves — talk about taking statement-making accessories to new heights… or lengths?!
Speaking on the collaboration, the London-based designer says: “I feel like the collection I’ve created with M&S is like something I would do for Bella Freud, but what’s wonderful is that it’s so accessible, delivering it to a lot more people and on top of that, the price and quality is incredible.”
Exclusively available to shop in the M&S Grafton Street store in Dublin, or online, the price range spans €20-€189, while the size range runs from XS to XL for knits, and sizes 6-24 for the wider range, with a selection of short, regular and long leg lengths available for the trousers and jeans.
If you’re unfamiliar with Bella Freud, she’s a talent who’s been redefining what it means to be a designer since her eponymous label was first established in 1990. Known for her hand-drawn statement designs that seek to distil an emotion into a single statement, her brand is beloved by the likes of Kate Moss, Little Simz, Juliette Lewis, Zadie Smith, Sienna Miller, Olivia Wilde and Rebecca Hall.
Her iconic slogan jumpers reflect her thoughtful yet playful approach, and demonstrate the personal narratives that run throughout her collections. This high street collaboration is no different, featuring a range of knits emblazoned with the likes of ‘honey’, ‘nature’ and ‘divine feminine’. The colour range is punchy, with zingy acid yellows, poppy reds, and softer light rose shades that, when coupled with these choice words and phrases, lend a bright, optimistic feeling to the piece.
Shall we talk about quality? The pieces in the Bella Freud x M&S collection are made from fabrics like merino wool, silk, and cashmere.
Inspired by the history of M&S and how it impacted her own life, Bella visited the M&S company archive in Leeds and thoroughly immersed herself in the brand. The final collection celebrates the harmony between the two brands, bringing tradition and fashion together, with nods to uniform and Bella’s love of graphic packaging, tailoring, slogan knits and matching accessories.
Tailoring mainstays include wool blend flared pinstripe trousers and a co-ordinating pinstripe jacket with chunky merino rich wool blend jumpers and 100% cashmere roll necks. There are also everyday essentials across denim and easy-to-style separates like the 100% silk tie neck shirt. For Bella, the indispensable piece from the collection is the suit. A transformative look dependent on its pairing, it can be dressed up and formalised with the tie neck shirt or dressed down with a relaxed, soft knit.
“For me, the standout piece from the collection is the suit. I wanted to create a capsule edit of interchangeable pieces that can be worn at any time. If you have nothing else apart from a suit, you will always have a great look,” Bella says. “I’m also really glad we have both the trouser and miniskirt options, coordinating back with the suit jacket. We’d agreed upon a suit for the collection early on and then I had this craving to add a miniskirt, and I just love the addition, it feels relevant to now.”
Without further ado, here are just some of our top picks from the Bella Freud x M&S collection to shop now…
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