St Michael

St Michael was a Marks & Spencer private-label brand used across much of the retailer's merchandise. It originated in a supply relationship between Marks & Spencer and N. Corah and Sons, a Leicester hosiery manufacturer. Corah had previously used the St Margaret name for hosiery, a name associated with the parish in which its factory stood. When Corah began supplying Marks & Spencer directly in the 1920s, the arrangement risked creating tension with the wholesale textile trade and the company sought a separate name for products sold through Marks & Spencer. Simon Marks agreed to the name St Michael, which could be associated in consumers' minds with the established St Margaret reputation and may also have evoked Michael Marks, the retailer's co-founder. The St Michael name appeared in 1927 and was registered as a trademark in 1928. It initially identified hosiery supplied by Corah, but its role expanded substantially. By 1950, and for roughly the following half-century, St Michael was applied to most goods sold by Marks & Spencer. The label therefore became a broad assurance mark rather than a narrowly defined product line. It appeared on clothing and textiles, food, and household products, helping Marks & Spencer present a consistent own-brand identity across its stores. For British consumers, the name became closely associated with dependable quality, practical design and the retailer's traditional vertically coordinated sourcing model. Marks & Spencer retired the St Michael branding in 2000 during a wider corporate rebranding programme. The name did not disappear immediately from every customer touchpoint: for several years, a version of the St Michael Quality Promise appeared on food packaging, delivery vehicles and shop receipts. This residual use preserved the association between St Michael and Marks & Spencer's quality credentials even after the principal product branding had changed. The label later acquired a second life through the vintage and resale clothing market. Older St Michael garments became recognizable examples of Marks & Spencer's historical clothing offer, and their visibility on vintage resale websites contributed to renewed consumer interest. In September 2021, Marks & Spencer announced that it would begin using St Michael again on clothing. The reintroduction represented a selective revival of a heritage label rather than a return to its former role across almost the entire Marks & Spencer range. St Michael is consequently best understood as a historic Marks & Spencer own-brand identity with continuing heritage value and limited modern re-use.

The background to St Michael lies in Leicester's hosiery industry. In 1875, N. Corah and Sons registered St Margaret as a hosiery brand. The name reflected the location of Corah's factory in the parish of St Margaret's Church, Leicester. The factory later became one of Europe's largest hosiery manufacturing sites, and St Margaret developed a reputation that made it a useful reference point for a new Marks & Spencer supply arrangement. In 1926, Corah agreed to supply Marks & Spencer directly rather than through a wholesaler. Because this direct relationship could conflict with the company's other wholesale distribution channels and with the interests of the Wholesale Textile Association, Corah sought another brand identity for goods sold through Marks & Spencer. Simon Marks approved the name St Michael. The choice may have been influenced by the existing St Margaret name and possibly by the name Michael, associated with Marks & Spencer co-founder Michael Marks, although the latter connection is not definitively established. The St Michael name was introduced in 1927 and trademarked in 1928. It first appeared on Corah-produced goods, especially hosiery. Its use then expanded well beyond that original supply relationship. By 1950, nearly all goods sold by Marks & Spencer carried the St Michael identity, making it one of the clearest examples of a retailer-wide private label. The mark was used on clothing and textiles, food and household merchandise, and served as a common quality signal across otherwise different product categories. Marks & Spencer discontinued the main St Michael branding in 2000 as part of a broad rebranding exercise. The name continued for a transitional period as the St Michael Quality Promise, appearing on the reverse of food products and on operational or customer-facing materials such as delivery vehicles and receipts. This continuation allowed Marks & Spencer to retain some of the label's quality associations while moving toward a new brand architecture. The brand gained renewed cultural visibility through the vintage clothing market. Older garments bearing St Michael labels were traded on vintage resale websites, where the name functioned as a marker of historical Marks & Spencer clothing. In September 2021, Marks & Spencer announced plans to use St Michael again for clothing. The decision was a heritage-led revival and did not restore the brand to its former status as the name used across almost the entire retail range. Its history therefore spans three stages: an industrial hosiery label created for a specific supplier relationship, a dominant Marks & Spencer private label used across categories, and a selectively revived heritage name in contemporary clothing.

• 2021

  Heritage clothing revival announced

  [1]St Michael (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Marks & Spencer announced that it would begin using St Michael again on clothing, following renewed interest in the name on vintage clothing resale websites.

• 2000

  Main St Michael branding discontinued

  [1]St Michael (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Marks & Spencer dropped the principal St Michael identity as part of a general rebranding programme.

• 1950

  Expansion into a retailer-wide Marks & Spencer label

  [1]St Michael (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  By this period, St Michael was being used on almost all goods sold by Marks & Spencer, extending far beyond its original hosiery application.

• 1928

  St Michael trademark registered

  [1]St Michael (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  The St Michael name was registered as a trademark.

• 1927

  St Michael introduced

  [1]St Michael (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  The St Michael name began being used on products supplied to Marks & Spencer, initially in connection with Corah hosiery.

• 1926

  Corah agrees to supply Marks & Spencer directly

  [1]St Michael (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  N. Corah and Sons entered a direct supply arrangement with Marks & Spencer, creating the commercial need for a separate identity for goods sold through the retailer.

• 1875

  St Margaret hosiery brand registered

  [1]St Michael (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  N. Corah and Sons registered the St Margaret name for hosiery. The label's name referred to the Leicester parish where Corah's factory was located and later provided a reputational reference for the St Michael naming decision.

A broad Marks & Spencer own-brand quality mark associated historically with dependable everyday clothing, hosiery, food and household merchandise, and later revived as a heritage clothing label.

• Hosiery · 1927

  St Michael hosiery

  The brand began as an identity for hosiery supplied by N. Corah and Sons to Marks & Spencer. Its creation separated Corah's Marks & Spencer business from the supplier's other wholesale channels while benefiting from an association with the established St Margaret hosiery reputation.

• Apparel

  St Michael clothing and textiles

  Clothing and textile goods formed a major part of the label's long period of use at Marks & Spencer. Vintage garments bearing St Michael labels remain visible in the resale market, contributing to the brand's heritage status and later revival.

• Food

  St Michael food products

  During the period when St Michael functioned as Marks & Spencer's broad private label, the name appeared on food products as well as non-food merchandise. After the 2000 rebrand, the St Michael Quality Promise continued to appear on the back of some food packaging for a transitional period.

• Household goods

  St Michael household merchandise

  Household products were among the categories covered by the retailer-wide St Michael identity. The label served as a common Marks & Spencer quality marker rather than as a narrowly specialized household brand.

• 2021St Michael heritage clothing revival

  United Kingdom

  Marks & Spencer announced a return of the St Michael name on clothing after the label developed renewed recognition on vintage clothing resale websites.

  Outcome. The announcement re-established St Michael as a selectively used heritage clothing identity rather than restoring its former use across most Marks & Spencer merchandise.

  Source

• 2021

  Revive St Michael for clothingProduct launch

  Background

  The old label had gained popularity and recognition on vintage clothing resale websites.

  Action taken

  Marks & Spencer announced that it would use St Michael again on clothing.

  Aftermath

  St Michael returned as a heritage-oriented clothing identity, with no indication that it had resumed its former all-category role.

  Source

• 2000

  Retire the principal St Michael identityStrategy

  Background

  Marks & Spencer undertook a general rebranding programme after decades of using St Michael across much of its merchandise.

  Action taken

  The retailer dropped the main St Michael branding, while retaining a limited St Michael Quality Promise usage for a transitional period.

  Aftermath

  The name survived temporarily on selected packaging and operational materials before later gaining heritage value through vintage clothing resale.

  Source

• 1927

  Create a distinct Marks & Spencer supplier brandStrategy

  Background

  N. Corah and Sons needed a separate identity for goods supplied directly to Marks & Spencer, partly to protect its other wholesale distribution relationships.

  Action taken

  Corah and Marks & Spencer adopted the St Michael name for products sold through the retailer.

  Aftermath

  The label expanded from Corah hosiery into a retailer-wide Marks & Spencer private label.

  Source

• 2021

  Marks & Spencer announces the return of St Michael branding for clothing[1]St Michael (brand)en.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Campaign

  Marks & Spencer announced that it would begin selling clothing using the St Michael name again, responding in part to the label's renewed visibility and popularity on vintage clothing resale websites.

1. 1St Michael (brand)en.wikipedia.org