Marks & Spencer has begun selling crotchless knickers from Ann Summers on its website, prompting online criticism that has ranged from “tawdry” to “S & M”. But the move may be less of a scandal than a step in the retailer’s evolving underwear strategy.
The UK’s biggest underwear retailer has previously marketed a wide variety of styles, from full briefs and thongs to period and stoma-friendly knickers. It introduced third-party clothing brands five years ago, and Ann Summers – which is selling bras and chemises as well as knickers on the M&S website – now sits alongside lingerie labels such as Pour Moi and Calvin Klein.
A wider strategy
Catherine Shuttleworth, chief executive of retail consultancy Savvy, sees the partnership as part of a broader approach. “They’ve started introducing brands to bring them into sectors that probably isn’t their core,” she says. “And this is another one. It’s just a little bit more eye-catching.”
Shuttleworth describes M&S underwear as a “national obsession”. If its long-term popularity once made it seem a bit mumsy to younger people, that has changed recently: in 2024, people under 30 accounted for a third of underwear sales, double the figure for 2023.
Engaging younger shoppers
Shuttleworth says the introduction of Ann Summers could be about continuing to engage that demographic. “They are always innovating for every stage of your life,” she says. “And I think this is a gap in their category. Ann Summers is a byword for sex, isn’t it?”
The retailer itself frames the move as part of its brands strategy. “Our ‘brands at M&S’ strategy is all about giving customers greater choice through carefully selected third-party brands that complement our existing M&S offer,” a spokesperson said. “Ann Summers is one of the latest brands to join [M&S online], helping broaden our underwear and nightwear offer.”
Publicity value
There is also the publicity factor. “It doesn’t really matter whether they sell any crotchless pants or not, we’re all going to be talking about it,” says Shuttleworth. “You might also go online to look. You might not buy those, but you’ll think: ‘I could do with replacing my pants.’”
A long history of trends
M&S has sold underwear since the 1920s and fitted bras since 1947. It was the first retailer to sell pre-shrunk cotton underwear in 1965, and by 1976 knickers were its biggest export, with nearly 4m pairs sold internationally every year. Fashion has driven changing styles, from hip-huggers in the 60s to thongs, which reached peak popularity in the mid-2000s.
In 2016, the store sold 60m pairs of knickers a year, with Brazilian knickers replacing the thong; the style, which reveals part of the wearer’s bottom, made up 10% of sales. By 2021, thongs were back thanks to the popularity of low-rise jeans. The No 1 bestseller on the M&S website is now a five-pack of white full briefs.
A fuss over nothing
Lorraine Topper, a researcher at The Underpinnings Museum, argues the reaction is disproportionate. “M&S have always followed fashion with regard to their lingerie designs,” she says. “For some reason, it’s the multipack of full briefs that sticks in people’s heads when you talk about their underwear, rather than, for example, the beautiful lace designs from the Rosie Exclusively range.”
Topper describes the outrage as “a fuss over nothing … Open-crotch underwear for women was the norm before the 1920s so this type of garment isn’t quite as scandalous as we might first think.”
