Julien Macdonald, a former creative director at Givenchy, believes aspiring fashion designers no longer need to relocate to major cities to succeed in the industry. According to BBC News, Macdonald and emerging Welsh designer Ioan Bowen-Pickett are among industry figures championing the idea that digital technology has fundamentally changed how fashion careers can develop outside London's traditional hub.
The shift in perspective comes as the British Fashion Council's Fashion Britain initiative, developed as part of the BFC's Strategy 2030 titled "Access, Creativity and Growth," expanded its reach beyond the capital. The campaign initially launched without Wales in its lineup, but after industry figures campaigned for inclusion, the BFC reversed course. The September 2026 programme ultimately included Cardiff, Dundee, Liverpool and Newcastle, alongside the originally announced cities of London, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh.
How has technology changed the fashion industry?
Macdonald, who received an OBE in 2006 and has dressed celebrities including Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Suki Waterhouse, contrasted his own path with opportunities available today. When he left Merthyr Tydfil in the 1990s as a teenager passionate about knitting and art, he had to move to Brighton and then London before his talent caught the attention of fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld. The journey took years and required physical relocation.
Speaking at a Fashion Britain panel in Cardiff on 30 September featuring designer Jayne Pierson, creative director Charlotte James and Ibby Abdi—who has collaborated with New Balance and Cardiff City—Macdonald highlighted how smartphones have democratised fashion entrepreneurship.
"Gone are the days that you needed to be in a city because now you've all got something that's right in your hands or by the side of you. It's called a phone. You can create a brand, a virtual shop on a phone and you can create your own business in Wales. If it's made in Wales it's even better. Now everybody has access to fashion. It doesn't matter whether you're in the valleys, in Cardiff City, at the top of a mountain, fashion is for everybody just by the touch of a button."
Macdonald recalled his father telling him that university
"isn't for people like us"when he departed Wales in the 1990s to study knitwear. He described the current moment as
"just the start of things to come"for Welsh fashion.
What is driving the expansion beyond London?
When the BFC first announced Fashion Britain in late July, the initial six launch cities were London, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol and Edinburgh—notably excluding Wales. The omission prompted designers such as Ioan Bowen-Pickett to voice their frustration on social media. When the BFC's chief executive reshared Bowen-Pickett's video on Instagram, it signalled a significant shift: Wales would be added to the initiative.
Natalie Potter from the BFC explained the reasoning behind the nationwide expansion.
"London is the global fashion capital, but British fashion has never been created in one place. We have to make sure opportunity, visibility and investment reach beyond London. And that means going into communities, meeting people where they are and creating opportunities for audiences to engage with fashion on their very own doorstep."Potter emphasised that the BFC did not want this to be a temporary moment, stating
"We want to build relationships with cities and communities across Britain and create more opportunities for designers, maker businesses and audiences outside of London."
The BFC has also indicated that Northern Ireland was not included in the 2026 initiative but is scheduled to join Fashion Britain in 2027.
Can Welsh designers genuinely compete without relocating?
Bowen-Pickett, 25, operates his fashion brand Cambrensis from Cardiff, centring Wales' cultural and industrial heritage in his high-end designs. He has already secured a collaboration with Clarks Shoes and hosted pop-up stores at John Lewis branches. When asked whether he could build his career without moving to London, he responded with conviction.
"What's the point? It's too crowded in London, there's too much noise. There's a massive opportunity in doing what we're doing in Wales currently. It's an unbelievably talented set of people in this country."
Cambrensis hosted its own Fashion Britain event in Cardiff, featuring a launch for a promotional video and brand ambassador, Welsh actor Alexander Vlhaos. The event sold out, drawing fashion industry professionals from south Wales to network and celebrate local creative work.
Attendees Jade Matthews and Morgan Mcloughlin described the significance of the occasion. Mcloughlin called it
"important"for Welsh culture and designers, while Matthews added
"It's exciting, we're being seen, we're being put on the map."
Amy Jenkins, a self-employed hair and makeup artist from Pontypridd, acknowledged that Welsh creatives often face challenges gaining visibility.
"We sometimes are overlooked, overshadowed and from personal experience it's difficult to get out there sometimes."Despite these obstacles, Jenkins has built an impressive portfolio working with actress Emma Myers, known for the series Wednesday and the Minecraft movie.
"I do her hair and makeup for the occasional events and I worked as her hair and makeup artist on Good Girls Guide to Murder. I go pretty much wherever I'm asked to go, I did a press tour last year and I got to go to South Korea and Australia."
What role does London still play?
Naomi Pike, commissioning editor at Elle UK, moved from Swansea to London to pursue her fashion career, representing a generation for whom relocation seemed necessary. She acknowledged that expanding Fashion Britain beyond London was
"really exciting"and said
"I know when I was growing up, I would have been supremely excited to go to something such as this."
Pike, who hosted events in collaboration with Elle and Fashion Britain, stressed the importance of community and networking.
"Finding people that have like-minded views, shared values, and you can build and support each other,"she explained. While acknowledging that
"there's a long way for it to go to compete with anything that we see in the other big capitals,"Pike highlighted Wales' historical significance in fashion.
"Wales, for instance, has always had its place in fashion. There have been so many designers that have referenced our amazing craft and heritage. I think of Sarah Burton when she was at Alexander McQueen. She often looked to our craft. You see people like Jonathan Anderson and Phoebe Filo, two of the world's most important designers, look to Gwyn John for art inspiration."
Pike identified Welsh identity as a competitive advantage in the global fashion landscape.
"Welsh creativity, I think is very singular. The existence of being Welsh, whether you're in London, whether you're in another part of Britain, whether you're in another part of the world is very singular. The idea of identity and value and language and performance and creativity and art, I think they all come together."
What happens next for Fashion Britain?
The expansion of Fashion Britain represents a deliberate shift in how the British fashion industry approaches talent development and opportunity distribution. With Wales now integrated into the 2026 programme and Northern Ireland scheduled to join in 2027, the initiative signals a sustained commitment to decentralising fashion beyond London's traditional dominance. The success of events in Cardiff and other regional cities will likely shape whether this becomes a permanent feature of the British fashion calendar or remains a limited campaign.
