Dress The Nation season 1 is a new reality show coming soon to ITV1 and ITVX.
The six-parter has invited ten aspiring fashion designers with various degrees of experience to take part in a competition where the winner lands a coveted job on M&S’s fashion design team.
It is hosted by AJ Odudu and Vernon Kay and will feature a high wattage of celebrity guest judges.
Here’s everything we know...
Dress The Nation season 1 — release date
Six-parter Dress The Nation season 1 will debut on ITV1 and ITVX on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 8pm. Subsequent episodes will air weekly at the same time.
Dress The Nation — premise
A collaboration with M&S, Dress the Nation is a nationwide search for the retail company’s next designer.
The press release explains that: “The series will document the search process from start to finish: over the course of six episodes, 10 candidates will compete to secure a highly coveted in-house design role working alongside some of the best designers in the industry at M&S’ colleague support centre in Paddington, London.
“Over the course of the recruitment process, the 10 candidates will be set a series of briefs which will assess their design, problem-solving, commerciality and collaboration skills.”
See our episode guide below for more details on what to expect and details on the star guests.
Dress the Nation — contestants
There are ten places in the competition, yet there can only be one winner. Those taking part will be set tasks which range from identifying product trends to designing new garments, with weekly eliminations whittling down the contestants, before the grand finale announces the overall champion.
When initially putting out the call this was part of the brief: “The retailer wants to hear from people of all walks of life and aims to reiterate that a formal qualification or training in fashion design is not essential. What’s more important is creative flair, a willingness to learn and a passion for design.”
Here's our quick rundown of who's who in series 1 of Dress the Nation…
Chris, office manager, 38, London
David, former dancer, 37, London
Daylan, pattern cutter, 30
Julie, alterations shop owner, 54, Sheffield
Katie, retail worker, 24, Southport
Maria, financial director, 45, Crosby
Paul, lecturer, 31, Ayr
Ryan, shop assistant, 21, Swansea
Sandeep, fabric shop owner, 33, Coventry
Tedai, project worker, 44, Doncaster
Dress the Nation — star judges and celebrity guests
Spice Girl legend Mel B is the first guest judge. Ian Wright, Rosie Huntington Whiteley, Alex Scott, Vogue Williams and Bella Freud will all be appearing as star guests on Dress the Nation.
Speaking about their guest judges M&S said: "Celebrity judges all chosen for their passion and existing relationships with M&S as well as being renowned for their iconic style include model, actress and M&S lingerie ambassador Rosie Huntington Whiteley, fashion designer Bella Freud, podcaster and TV personality Vogue Williams, former professional footballer, presenter, broadcaster and the face of M&S activewear Alex Scott, TV personality and footballing legend Ian Wright, This Morning daytime TV presenter Cat Deeley, and singer and TV personality Mel B."
The programme also invites a panel of real life M&S customers into the studio each week to view that episode's collections and give their honest (very honest in come cases!) feedback on the pieces.
See our Episode Guide below for more on individual episodes.
Dress the Nation — presenters
AJ Odudu’s presenting credits include Big Brother’s Bit on the Side, Lorraine, Apocalypse Wow, Morning Live, Eurovision Song Contest 2022, The Bridge, The Queen's Platinum Jubilee 2022: The Platinum Pageant, The Big Interiors Battle, Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother. She also competed in Cooking With the Stars and Strictly Come Dancing in 2021.
Speaking about Dress the Nation she says: “I’m so excited to be hosting M&S: Dress The Nation on ITV alongside my mate Vernon. To host a primetime show that celebrates all things fashion is incredible and I can’t wait to help ITV and M&S unearth some brilliant new design talent. Accessibility to the creative industries for people across the U.K. is so important to me and shows like this provide an opportunity that really could change someone's life forever.”
Vernon Kay
Vernon Kay’s presenting credits include Boys and Girls, T4, Just the Two of Us, Beat the Star, The Whole 19 Yards, Splash!, All Star Family Fortunes, Drive and 1000 Heartbeats. He’s also had guest roles as himself in Shaun of the Dead, Extras and Keith Lemon: The Film and competed in I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! in 2020 and The Masked Singer UK.
Speaking about Dress the Nation he says: “I’m a strong believer in giving talent the opportunity to be seen and get a chance to make it. This is a great way for budding designers, especially those who don’t necessarily have any formal training or experience, to win a life-changing job at one of Britain’s most loved retailers. This is gonna be huge for all those who take part. And I’m so looking forward to working alongside AJ again.”
Is there a trailer for Dress the Nation?
Yes, there is a mini trailer available. Check it out
Dress the Nation — filming locations
The series takes place in a single location in London.
Here's how it was described in the press release: “Candidates will work out of a purpose-built design studio for the duration of the competition and work individually, as well as in groups.”
Vernon Kay told us: "It’s all filmed in one building, that's about two blocks away from where Alexander McQueen grew up and had his design house, so it's quite cool."
AJ added: "There’s definitely a lot of design history in that building. The contestants also head to M&S HQ and see the place that they will be working in if they are successful." Full interview below
An exclusive interview with Dress the Nation presenters AJ Odudu and Vernon Kay on hosting ITV’s life-changing new competition series…
AJ Odudu and Vernon Kay are beaming at the prospect of debuting Dress the Nation on ITV1 when they join WTW for an exclusive interview, as the show has the potential to change the fabric of someone’s life.
The six-parter has invited ten aspiring fashion designers with various degrees of experience to take part in a competition where the winner lands a coveted job on M&S’s fashion design team.
"Myself and Vernon work in a competitive industry, so we know how hard it is to break into certain spaces," empathises AJ, 36. "It’s an exciting prospect to be part of someone's journey to make it in an industry that’s tough to get into."
"When you strip it back, we’re giving someone the chance to basically start a career in something they’re passionate about," agrees Vernon, 50. "It’s beautiful to watch!"
Here, the well matched presenting duo tell us more...
What appealed to you about hosting Dress the Nation?
AJ: "The prize is life-changing - not only will the winner have the opportunity to join the M&S team they'll also have their incredible winning design available in the retailer’s stores across the nation!"
VERNON: "Some of the participants have been to design college, but had a couple of kickbacks, which meant they’ve had to start again, while others are self-taught. When we met them AJ and I were really taken aback by their personal stories and how pivotal this is for them. They’re a beautiful, broad-spanning array of contestants."
The first episode opens with Summer womenswear. What other tasks can we expect later in the series?
VERNON: "You’ll also see them design menswear, childrenswear and swimwear. There are some great designs, and some not-so-great designs, so the whole process is both emotional and joyous. I’m just going to say, there are a lot of tears."
AJ: "Yes, there are a lot of highs and lows and you can’t help but empathise with each and every one of them. The challenges are set out by the M&S design experts to see their personal sense of style, creative flair and commercial viability. Then, not only are our contestants judged by the experts, their fashion prowess is also judged by celebrity guest judges and real M&S customers!"
Spice Girl Mel B is the first guest star. Can you share any clues about the other judges?
AJ: "All I can say is that everyone was a delight and that they get bigger every week. I can also tell you that you’ll see some high-fashion modelling from Vernon. He may have hung up his boots a long time ago, but he’s reignited his modelling career for the nation!
Given the prize at stake, does it get very competitive between the contenders?
AJ: "Yes, everyone wants it! Initially they're so happy just to be there, but once the first person is sent home it becomes real and they all fight tooth and nail to win. It’s thrilling to watch."
VERNON: "There’s a lot of emotion on the show - more than I was anticipating to be honest with you. I think it all comes down to the pressure of the challenges and the pressure they put on themselves because they know winning is a personal game changer."
Did you learn anything unusual during filming?
VERNON: “I’ve learned that AJ has a sweet tooth!”
AJ: Guilty! “The M&S snacks on set were a dream! I’ve learned that Vernon always has a little pre-show nap…”
VERNON: “Yes, I’m not going to lie, I do like a little nap. I’m of that age now!”
What’s next for you both?
AJ: "Vernon and I are hosting an award at the NTAs together [on ITV1 on Wednesday 11 September] and I will soon be presenting a new series of Big Brother with Will Best on ITV and ITV2. Very much like Dress the Nation it’s a diverse cast of incredible people, so bring it on!"
VERNON: "For me, there’s more Radio Two mid morning shows and Daddy Daycare at the weekends as Tess [Daly, Vernon’s wife] has got Strictly Come Dancing coming up. Although, I say ‘Daddy Daycare’ the youngest is now 15 so she kind-of looks after herself!"
Dress the Nation season 1 — episode guide
Episode 1
AJ Odudu and Vernon Kay team up to present a stylish new series that sees ten wannabe designers compete for a job on M&S’s fashion team. There’s no point hemming and hawing about it, yes this follows the pattern of other competition shows, but with a cast of characters you can invest in and an interesting glimpse behind the curtains of M&S, it’s a rail-y entertaining watch that sews a lot of promise. Up first is womenswear and two challenges that stretch the scrapy contestants before one is eliminated. (You could even say: A stitch in time, saves nine... too much?). Glamorous Spice Girl Mel B is the first ever guest judge on the show.
Eliminated: Julie.
Episode 2
Model and actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley joins the panel as a guest judge while Britain's best amateur clothing designers compete to win a job as a fashion designer at high street giant M&S. Here, the designers tackle the challenges that come along with Lingerie Week.
Their first task is to create a luxury, statement sleepwear piece. The second 'collection challenge' sees the contestants split into teams and asked to design three stylish items which will be opened up to court of public opinion.
Eliminated: Both Chris and Tedai were sent home in this shock double elimination episode.
Episode 3
Irish model and media personality Vogue Williams joins the judging panel as the amateur designers face the challenges that come along with making children's wear.
There's no kidding around in this episode, and for some it turns into a nightmare week. The first challenge is create a party wear outfit for 9 to 10 year olds. The second task sees the remaining contestants split into three groups and challenged to put together a sustainable and durable gender neutral collection.
Everyone is then judged by both the expert panel and the public, and this week there are some little judges with big opinions!
Eliminated: Ryan.
Episode 4
It's sportswear week the guest judge is TV presenter and former footballer, Alex Scott.
The bar is raised now its the quarter-final and their first design challenge is to create a sporty swimwear piece that shows their sense of style but is also practical and performance focused.
In the group challenge they split into three teams of two and set about creating a stylish athileisure collection with multiple functionalities, and the M&S customer feedback doesn't pull any punches.
Eliminated: Maria.
Going through to the semi-final are Daylan, Paul, Sandeep, Katie and David.
Episode 5
It's the semi-final and TV personality and Arsenal legend Ian Wright joins the work room as this week's guest judge. The first task for Daylan, Paul, Sandeep, Katie and David is to design a jacket specifically for Ian, who plans to wear the winning garment while working on live TV. There were some hits and misses and, at halftime, Daylan was relegated out of the competition.
For the second task the remaining four were split into two teams, with the format of David and Sandeep winning the menswear collection challenge, which saw Paul going home.
Episode 6
AJ Odudu and Vernon Kay host the grand final as the three remaining designers, David, Sandeep and Katie, create their own full clothing collections and showcase their designs in a catwalk event. Experts Cat Deeley and Bella Freud join as guest judges and one winner is chosen for their dream job as a fashion designer at high street giant M&S. But before all that, there will be interviews and the return of some familiar faces!
The challenge is to create and design two full party wear outfits for a festive occasion. Not only is there a job up for offer, but the winning design will be available to buy online and in selected M&S stores.
And the winner is... David!
Dress the Nation — additional information
Katie Rawcliffe, Head of Entertainment Commissioning ITV says: “M&S: Dress The Nation offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance for a member of the public to be able to design their fashion collection of dreams.”
Bhavit Chandrani, Director of BE Studio from IT adds: “We have a fantastic working relationship with M&S having already worked on the brilliant Cooking with the Stars format and brand-new Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain. We’re really excited to branch out into fashion and can’t wait to see AJ and Vernon guiding prospective designers and viewers alike through the process.”
This series comes via BE Studio from ITV, a full-service creative studio producing Ad Funded Entertainment (AFE). BE Studio helps brands build emotional connections with ITV’s audience through the co-creation of entirely new formats, which includes successful M&S partnership Cooking with the Stars and new series Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain.
