Simon Marks created the St Michael brand in 1928, naming it after his father Michael Marks.
Simon wanted to establish the St Michael label as a quality mark, showing that the item it was attached to was made exclusively for M&S, and manufactured to specific quality standards. This meant that at first there were only a few St Michael products, but the range soon grew to include clothing, toys and food.
“the brand name of St. Michael has become well known and can be the greatest asset of our business? Therefore the name should not be misused for goods which do not reach our minimum standard of quality regardless of price.”Simon Marks, 1954
The appearance of the St Michael logo changed in the 1950s. The new version used a cursive font in the style of handwriting to communicate that St Michael was a fashionable and friendly brand. The logo changed several more times until St Michael was phased out in 2000.
Other brand names used by M&S included Marspen for household goods and toys, and Marspun for clothing.
