Marks & Spencer celebrates its 125th birthday in Yorkshire

ICONIC model Twiggy is to join Marks & Spencer chairman Sir Stuart Rose to launch an exhibition to celebrate the 125th birthday of the store chain in Yorkshire.

Twiggy, who features in M&S advertisements, will be at the University of Leeds next month with Sir Stuart and vice-chancellor Professor Michael Arthur to open the ‘Marks in Time’ exhibition.

The exhibition is a celebration of the role M&S has played in British cultural history since Michael Marks, the company’s founder, opened his first stall at Leeds’ Kirkgate Market in 1884.

Developed in partnership with the University of Leeds, the exhibition will unveil highlights of the Marks & Spencer archive to the public for the first time. It will take visitors on a journey through time with a unique showcase of around 200 fashion and home products, food packaging and photographs, and company literature and advertising, some of which have never been seen publicly before.

The collection has been curated by M&S archivists and will be on show in a free public exhibition housed in the University of Leeds’ Centenary Gallery within the Parkinson building.

Key items include: buttons sold from the original Penny Bazaar stall, one of the first bras which were introduced in the 1920s and quickly became one the company’s trademark products, utility clothing sold during the Second World War and distinctive trends and accessories from each decade following the explosion in demand for changing fashions from the 1950s onwards.

The exhibition, which will be opened by Twiggy and Sir Stuart on June 4 at 10am, also tracks the introduction of the first convenience foods  in the 1970s.

Sir Stuart said: “M&S has been at the heart of the community for 125 years and since we began life as a market stall in Leeds we have amassed a wonderful collection of products and memorabilia that offer an intriguing insight into the M&S of today.

“In this special year, we are delighted to be celebrating our Leeds roots by exhibiting part of our company archive for the first time here in the city. The University of Leeds, with its outstanding academic reputation, is the perfect partner for this collaboration.”

Prof Arthur, said: “Marks & Spencer has been part of our nation’s cultural, social and economic life for over a century.  We are delighted to offer the opportunity to make public some of the rich detail of the company’s history, and look forward to our partnership developing.”

Later in June M&S is also planning to hold a roadshow at the University of Leeds for the public to showcase their own M&S memorabilia from the last 125 years. The company is hoping that people unearth a whole treasure trove of vintage M&S products tucked away in wardrobes and kitchen cupboards.

M&S and the University of Leeds are in advanced discussions about permanently relocating the entire company archive to Leeds and housing it in a purpose-built location on campus.  This unique archive – of more than 60,000 items – would be made available to staff and students for research, teaching and learning, and be fully accessible to the public for the first time whilst continuing as an important internal research facility for the M&S team.