M&S becomes an official headline sponsor of the Attitude Awards
This is not just a partnership...this is an M&S partnership
By Dale Fox
M&S has become an official headline sponsor of the Attitude Awards, building on a relationship that has run since the very first ceremony in 2012.
This year’s ceremony will be presented as the Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, in partnership with M&S, putting the retailer’s name alongside the event it has supported from the very beginning.
One of Britain’s most cherished retailers, and a long-standing supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, M&S has been a fixture of the awards for well over a decade, taking a table at the Attitude Awards’ inaugural event, with its involvement growing over the years that followed.
In 2023 it became the awards’ exclusive drinks supplier, a role it has kept every year since. Its wines and cocktails also feature across Attitude’s events calendar, at the Attitude Awards, the Attitude PRIDE Awards and Attitude 101.
M&S is now front and centre of one of the UK’s biggest LGBTQ+ events
M&S’s presence has become one of the defining pleasures of the Attitude Awards. The retailer’s award-winning sparkling wines welcome guests at the red carpet reception, with bar-quality cocktails from The Marksologist range served later in the evening.
The Attitude Awards have grown into one of the biggest nights in the LGBTQ+ calendar, honouring the figures and moments shaping culture and public life. Last year’s ceremony was named Event of the Year at the 2026 PPA Awards, a mark of the reach it now commands. M&S’s move to major sponsor places one of the country’s best-loved names at the centre of that night.
“I couldn’t be prouder to have them by our side” – Attitude publisher Darren Styles OBE
Attitude publisher Darren Styles OBE said: “Few brands are as loved, or as loyal, as M&S. They’ve been part of the Attitude Awards since our very first ceremony in 2012, and in the years since they’ve backed the LGBTQ+ community with a steadfastness that too few brands can match.
“For them to step up now as a major sponsor means a great deal not only to Attitude, but to the LGBTQ+ community in general. They’ve helped make this night what it is for more than a decade, and I couldn’t be prouder to have them by our side.”
“We are making a clear commitment to our LGBTQ+ colleagues and customers” – Jamie Ayers, co-chair of the M&S LGBTQ+ Network
Jamie Ayers, co-chair of the M&S LGBTQ+ Network, said: “We’re incredibly proud to become an official partner of the Attitude Awards, building on our relationship that stretches right back to the very first awards in 2012.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion have long been part of our core values at M&S and by taking our partnership with Attitude to the next level, we are making a clear commitment to our LGBTQ+ colleagues and customers who can see their community celebrated at one of the biggest events in the LGBTQ+ calendar.
“And of course this is not just a partnership… This is a partnership where we’ll be making the evening extra special, from raising a glass to the winners with our award-winning wines, to helping many of the guests feel their best in pieces from our latest fashion collections.”
The Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, in partnership with M&S, arrives this October, and will as always celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and its allies across categories spanning entertainment, culture, and more.