Dame Helen Mirren, Ellie Goulding and Tracey Emin: Meet the NEW faces of M&S' AW13 campaign

Myleene Klass, Twiggy and Dannii Minogue move over - Marks & Spencer have some new leading ladies in town.

Dame Helen Mirren, Ellie Goulding, Tracey Emin and Darcey Bussell are just some of the famous faces who've today emerged as the stars of M&S' new AW13 campaign, after months of secrecy.

Shot by acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz, the campaign is entitled 'Meet Britain's Leading Ladies' - featuring a host of women with a whole range of notable achievements.

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From Olympic Gold winning boxer Nicola Adams, Helen Adams - Nurse of the year in 2011 - to burns survivor and charity campaigner Katie Piper, the new pictures show that M&S are focusing as much on leading women in business as style.

The backdrop for the scenes are evidently patriotic too; with one showing the talented few sailing down the River Thames with the iconic Tower Bridge in the backdrop.

Wrapped up in an array of winter coats, from Emin's high-funnel neck in bright red, to Grace Coddington's trademark khaki mac and Mirren's monochrome plaid print, the ladies show off their style credentials as they pose for Leibovitz's lens.

In another they retire to the English countryside to showcase the per una range, where they show off some new autumn/winter trends - from vibrant prints, to cream tailoring and flashes of colour-pop.

Speaking about the new line-up, Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, Executive Director Marketing and Business Development at M&S said the retailer hopes the new campaign will signal a "new era."

“We wanted this campaign to signal a new and confident tone of voice to introduce Autumn," he said.

"Annie was the perfect choice to shoot a campaign of this magnitude. Her unmistakable, signature style, with its truly dramatic aesthetic was exactly what we needed to communicate the essence of the campaign and of the new M&S.

"Annie’s photography has become synonymous with defining key moments in the history of brands over the years and, as such, we feel that this campaign is the ideal way to illustrate M&S’ move into a new era.”

The new campaign will launch from 3rd September 2013 in print around the UK, with selected shots also appearing in M&S’ international flagship stores in Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Gurgaon, Dubai, Istanbul, Moscow, Prague, Singapore and Amsterdam.
 

All items featured in the campaign are available to buy in Marks and Spencer stores and online at www.marksandspencer.com from September 2013.

The full M&S line up is:
Nicola Adams, Olympic Gold Winning Boxer
Monica Ali, Award-Winning Author
Helen Allen, Nurse of the Year 2011
Darcey Bussell, Retired Principal Ballerina at The Royal Ballet
Grace Coddington, Creative Director of US Vogue
Karen Elson, Supermodel and Singer
Tracey Emin, Artist and Professor of Drawing at the Royal Academy
Ellie Goulding, Multiplatinum global recording artist/Brit Award winning Singer/Songwriter
Helen Mirren, Multiple Award-Winning Actress
Laura Mvula, Breakthrough Singer/Songwriter
Katie Piper, Burns survivor, television presenter and charity campaigner.
Jasmine Whitbread, CEO of Save the Children International

Tell us what YOU think of M&S' new AW13 campaign, over on Twitter now.