How fashion designers are making the high street cool again: Former Topshop creative director is behind M&S's staggering rise and now Victoria Beckham's first hire is set to put Jigsaw back on the map

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 moreSigning Claire Waight Keller up to be Uniqlo's creative director was a coup so monumental, it stunned the world of fashion. After leading Givenchy for three years, and with a resume that includes sartorial heavyweights like Ralph Lauren and Chloe, Birmingham-born Claire, now 56, traded in the ateliers of Paris for the British high street. While most fashion designers start with mass market brands before moving up the ladder, Claire is part of a growing group that has chosen to buck the trend. The most recent addition to that list is Melanie Walker, the London-based designer who was Victoria Beckham's first hire when she launched her fashion label in 2008. Melanie helped build the infrastructure for the label's ready-to-wear division and has been tasked with breathing new life into Jigsaw, after it recorded an 18 per cent increase in sales for the months from February to July, while noting the 'turnaround is working'. She follows in the footsteps of Maddy Evans, the design maverick who moved from Topshop to M&S in a move that has seen M&S shed its frumpy image for an altogether more glamorous avatar. Jigsaw Jigsaw's new collection makes high-end fashion more affordable Melanie was Victoria Beckham's first employee when she joined the label in 2008 and set up the brand's ready-to-wear operation, before being promoted to the division's head of design in 2013. Her design career began at Roland Mouret and Melanie has since worked at Jonathan Saunders and FREDA, the in-house womenswear label at Matches Fashion. Her new role at Jigsaw comes nine years after she went freelance and worked as a design consultant for brands like Hurlingham 1875 and Alice Made This. Commenting on her appointment at Jigsaw, Melanie told Retail Times: 'It is a great honour to join Jigsaw as Design Director. I have always been inspired by the rich history of this British brand and its strong connection to arts and culture. 'Excellent quality, fit and fabric will be at the forefront of every design decision. I look forward to working with the Atelier team to craft the next chapter of this iconic brand's story.'Even the Princess of Wales sees the value in the high street brand. 12 years ago, Kate wore Jigsaw's iconic City Coat, and fashion lovers have been reaching for the cold-weather essential ever since - and it's just come back in stock in time for autumn. This A/W, the brand is launching the 64th iteration of the classic style with its Super Maxi take on the design, which (as the name suggests) offers a long, floor-grazing hemline, making it perfect for protecting against the chilly British weather.M&S Widely credited with M&S's makeover, Maddy Evans was the fashion director of Topshop before the brand hired her as head of buying in 2019.Since being promoted to director of womenswear in 2022, Maddy has helped M&S fill the crucial gap left by what was one of the High Street's most popular brands by offering must-have, seasonal pieces.The store has also adopted a faster fashion approach, meaning new items can move from the drawing board to the shelf in as little as a month, enabling the retailer to react to demand and the newest trends.M&S also made its London Fashion Week debut last week to mark 100 years of selling clothes and to unveil a ‘see now, buy now’ collection of womenswear and menswear. While M&S is embracing its new designer image, it has also kept prices fairly affordable; several of the new-in pieces retail for less than £50 The new edit is full of pieces that are perfect for transitioning from summer to autumn Speaking previously to the Daily Mail, Ms Evans said: 'We're pleased to see womenswear achieve its highest ever style rankings, particularly with the 35 to 54 customer - a clear sign our focus is landing, and our ranges are resonating with more people more often.'It's important that we keep up momentum, so this season we're supercharging newness across the board: from dresses and partywear through to denim, knitwear and outerwear. 'We're investing in fabrics, silhouettes and trend-led pieces our customers want while still delivering the value they trust us for.'While M&S is embracing its new designer image, it has also kept prices fairly affordable; several of the new-in pieces retail for less than £50. From a chocolate brown satin dress that will be the envy of every Christmas party to fashion-forward suede ballet flats you'll want to wear everywhere, the new collection proves good taste doesn't have to break the bank. Uniqlo Japanese casual wear brand Uniqlo named Claire Waight Keller as its global creative director two years ago in a fashion coup that stunned the high street. The British designer, 56, originally from Birmingham, was the first ever woman to head up Givenchy in March 2017, where she worked across men's and women's ready-to-wear.According to WWD, which broke the news of Claire's departure from Givenchy, her decision to step down came at the end of her initial three-year contract, and follows the debut of her final collection for the brand, which was shown on the runways at Paris Fashion Week, shortly before the Covid-19 outbreak shut down much of Europe.While Uniqlo earned its stripes by making affordable everyday basics, like their famous bra tops and crew neck t-shirts, Uniqlo: C was launched in 2023 as its fancier siblingClaire began her career as a stylist at Calvin Klein, before working for some of the world's most coveted fashion labels - from Gucci and Pringle of Scotland to Chloe.She moved to Givenchy in 2017 and famously designed Meghan Markle's wedding dress when she married the Duke of Sussex at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle the following year. While Uniqlo earned its stripes by making affordable everyday basics, like their famous bra tops and crew neck t-shirts, Uniqlo: C was launched in 2023 as its fancier sibling. Claire's designer credentials are manifest in the form of the cuts, silhouettes and the considered fabric choices, as she steers the brand towards a new destination. All Saints East London-born designer Aaron Esh took the reins at All Saints last November and oversees design, campaign, digital expression and brand tone. The Central Saint Martins graduate has been praised as a 'highly talented British designer', with Aaron also running his eponymous label in parallel. 'AllSaints is a brand I've grown up with – its London sensibility, commitment to craft and ability to fuse edge with refinement have always stood out to me,' Aaron told Retail Times. The new All Saints honours the leather jacket, but also makes space for elevated basics 'I believe there's a space where design, cultural relevance and accessibility meet, and AllSaints sits right at that intersection. There's a real opportunity to build on what already makes it powerful and evolve it for a new generation. I'll keep building.' Aaron's first pieces for All Saints are part of the brand's new A/W collection that he described as 'broad enough in sensibility that it doesn't need to have a specific demographic'. The new All Saints honours the leather jacket, but also makes space for elevated basics that are perfect for transitioning from summer to fall. Think high-quality cardigans, leather flats, coats and denim that everyone 'can buy into'.