Move over M&S… Matalan is coming for the high street crown with £13 jeans and £30 'designer' looks even a former Vogue editor loves

Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn more

At a dinner a few weeks ago, a former Vogue editor handed me a simple A4 red book. Underneath the plain cover were gorgeous images of a new Autumn/Winter collection.

Painfully cool. I wanted to wear the clothes, and I wanted to be one of the models wearing them.

But I couldn’t place the designer. There was a little check, and some fabulous suiting, but it was too simple to be Burberry and too relaxed to be Prada... ‘Matalan,’ whispered said editor. And the list of prices confirmed it – almost every piece was under £30.

Suedette bomber jacket, £40, striped shirt, £16, and wide-leg ecru jeans, £19.20

Shopping at Matalan for school uniform and bath towels is one thing, but fashion? Well, apparently yes.

The standout for me is the pinstripe suit worn with mohair-like oversized knitwear (far right). The fabric is generous and weighty and pools on the floor; the blazer brilliantly boxy. The suedette bomber, too, looks chic styled with the brand’s off-white jeans (second from left).

Grey pinstripe blazer, £35, wide-leg trousers, £22, charcoal fluffy jumper, £22, and ruched black leather loafer, £20

In fact, its denim offering in general is incredible. M&S say it has lowered its starting price for denim to £26 – Matalan’s highest is £24, and its range starts at an incredible £13.  

And there is a great range of cuts when it comes to Matalan’s jeans – I’ve tried the barrel and the wide legs, all available in sizes 8-24. Check out its indigo denim with turn-up, above. I love it with the clashing argyle knits. Its winter coats are equally good value. There’s a leopard-print tailored maxi coat, which is only £50, and this scarf jacket is £45.

Checked scarf coat, £45, barrel jean in washed black, £24, suede buckle detail bag, £22, and peg- heel brown boot, £26

Part of the strategy is to reduce the number of products it offers, focusing on quality, not quantity. Hero pieces.

Perhaps my favourite of all was a sequin skirt and white shirt. Very chic. Its checked mesh midaxi, £22, is equally cool but will get a lot more wear.

White shirt, £20 and sequin skirt, £22

Sarah Welsh, the brand’s chief commercial officer, joined 18 months ago, and her intention was clear: ‘We lost sight of the customer. We thought that price was all that mattered.’ Even its core customers didn’t rank them first, but second or third choice. They were trusted for basics, but not fashion.

Matalan’s new formula – less but better – has worked well for M&S, who have fast filled the vacuum of the collapsing British High Street.

Not only has M&S taken over in terms of being reliable, fairly decent quality and a fairly decent price, it has managed to become, well, rather cool. Fashion editors rushed for the new collection. But Matalan is now hot on its heels.

Checked mesh midaxi dress, £22, and rider snaffle black knee-high boot, £48

M&S is proud that 50 per cent of its products are under £35. At Matalan, 95 per cent are under £30. Welsh has focused on giving customers what they want, with stores at the heart of the strategy (remarkably, only 13 per cent of sales happen online). But she also has ambition beyond bricks and mortar.

Primark and the supermarkets have given up online, so once she’s regained customers’ loyalty, she wants to coax them back to the website too. She’s also launching a new app.

Argyle sleeveless knit, £20, turn-up straight- leg jean, £24, and black ruched leather loafer, £20

Matalan clearly knows its customer. The trick now is persuading them the store knows fashion as well.

The ambition is international. I’m looking forward to it taking over my local store in East London first.

Barn jacket, £40, stretch wide-leg jean, £24, twist-lock brown bag, £16, and peg-heel brown boot, £26