The news that Marks & Spencer is selling Ann Summers crotchless knickers on their website has been greeted – as might be expected – with outrage online, being described as everything from “tawdry” to “S & M”.
But it could be this is just the latest evolution in what the UK’s biggest underwear retailer has available for the smalls drawer. In recent years, the store has sold vastly different options through its own products, ranging from full-brief knickers to thongs, period knickers and those that can be used by women who wear stomas. The introduction of other brands in clothing came five years ago, with underwear included. Ann Summers – which is selling bras and chemises as well as knickers on the M&S website – lines up alongside lingerie brands including Pour Moi and Calvin Klein.
Catherine Shuttleworth, the chief executive of retail consultancy Savvy, sees it as part of wider strategy. “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” and there’s little doubt the store remains a must-visit for anyone restocking their underwear drawer. If its long-term popularity might have meant it was perceived as a bit mumsy for younger people, that has changed recently. In 2024, the store reported that people under 30 made up a third of underwear sales – double that of 2023.
Shuttleworth says the introduction of Ann Summers could be about continuing to engage this 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?”
This echoes the message coming from the retailer itself. In a statement, an M&S spokesperson said: “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. Ann Summers is one of the latest brands to join [M&S online], helping broaden our underwear and nightwear offer.”
There is also, of course, 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.’”
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 the biggest export – nearly 4m pairs were sold internationally every year. Fashion dictated different styles – from the “hip-hugger” styles in the 60s to thongs, which reached the apex of popularity in the mid-00s.
In 2016, the store sold 60m pairs of knickers a year, with Brazilian knickers replacing the thong. The style, which reveals some of the wearer’s bum, made up 10% of those sales. By 2021, thongs were back, thanks to the popularity of low rise jeans. According to the retailer’s website, the No 1 bestseller now is a five-pack of white full briefs.
Lorraine Topper, a researcher at The Underpinnings Museum, argues the reaction around the crotchless knickers is disproportionate – because the store does stock sexier styles along with basics.
“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.”
She 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.”
