Ellen MacArthur, together with some of Britain’s other leading sportsmen and women, has joined forces with Marks & Spencer to launch the new View From sportswear range originated and developed by former Olympian Brendan Foster. At this morning’s unveiling event in central London, Ellen teamed up with prima ballerina Darcy Bussell, international cricketer Darren Gough and British Olympic skier, Chemmy Alcott.

As one of the world’s top yachtswomen, Ellen will be endorsing the Outdoor Range which includes a large selection of performance clothing using the latest fibre technology incorporating smart fabrics such as Coolmax, Xstatic, Polartec fleece and Illuminate. While there are too many products to list in the range, some of the items to catch the eye on the ‘cat walk’ included the Stratus Jacket and matching trousers, and a groovy selection of fleeces and sports kit all with very reasonable price tags, with products such as the Micro Fleece starting at £39.

Ellen commented on the range: ‘One thing we realised with the Vende Globe project is that sailing is now classed as a sport and fitness is incredibly important – the fitter you are, the faster you’re going to be. So, when M&S approached us and asked if I was interested in working with them on a sports range, it fitted perfectly with the timing of the run-up to the Vende Globe Challenge. The fact that Brendan Foster developed the range means that it’s designed for professional sportsmen, it’s technical kit at a good price and not just a fashion label.’

Not surprisingly, Darcy Bussell is endorsing the fitness range Chemmy Alcott has the skiing range, and Darren Gough takes on the promotion of the golf range. View From is also endorsed by Olympic rower Matthew Pinsent, international rugby player Jason Robinson and international golfer Stephen Gallacher.