International Fashion designer, Julien macdonald OBE, designs Team Wales Commonwealth Games formalwear

Julien Macdonald OBE is the official designer for Team Wales at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 2022

International Fashion Designer, JULIEN MACDONALDOBE, designs Team Wales formalwear for the athletes of 2022 to wear at the Opening Ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on July 28th at the Alexander Stadium.

Born in Merthyr Tydfil, Julien is proud of his Welsh roots, and has dressed the most famous women in the world including Beyonce, Taylor Swift and many Welsh celebrities including Dame Shirley Bassey, Katherine Zeta-Jones, and Katherine Jenkins. The opportunity to dress Team Wales athletes, combining Julien’s world-renowned design skills with his passionate Welsh pride, has been a proud moment for the designer.

Julien commented that “It’s so exciting to be part of such an important project and to work closely with the athletes of Team Wales. It has been such an incredible experience. Overall, the design is something that is very Welsh and includes many Welsh symbols and colours that represent Wales. It’s something that I’ve really enjoyed doing and obviously I’ve added a touch of Julien Macdonald glamour“

Birmingham 2022 will be the 22nd Commonwealth Games since it’s launch in 1930. Wales are only one of six countries to compete in every single Games alongside Scotland, New Zealand, Canada, England and Australia.

The Games this summer, hosted by England will introduce two new sports to the competition calendar – Women’s T20 Cricket, and 3×3 Basketball (including 3×3 Wheelchair basketball). Birmingham 2022 is set to have the largest female and para sport programme in history, with 136 medal events for women across 19 sports.

The opening ceremony will see 72 Nations and Territories parade in the stadium, providing a unique opportunity for Wales to showcase the team on a global platform.

The Welsh messaging is carried deeper into the overall design, with Clogau Gold designing a bespoke pin badge to compliment Julien’s creation.

Chris Jenkins CEO added “The opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games on July 28th is always important for Team Wales. WE take pride as a country to unite and support the team; we should never under-estimate how much the support of a nation can inspire our athletes when they start competition in Birmingham22. The opening ceremony allows Team Wales to make an initial impact and a statement of intent for the Games; Julien’s offer to design the outfit creates an exciting combination of top Welsh fashion and sport.

Working with Julien, a very passionate Welshman, who has really listened to what the athletes want and what it means to compete on a world stage for your country. We are very grateful to Julien for giving is time voluntarily to design for Team Wales. Julien is know worldwide and it’s been a real honour to work with him to create something very special for the team. We can’t thank Julien and his team enough for all the hard work they have dedicated to this project. Whether you enjoy sport or follow fashion, we hope everyone will come together and join Team Wales on their journey to Birmingham.“

Cathy Williams, Head of Engagement, who has worked closely with Julien on the project said, “It’s been a very exciting journey, from the initial discussion of working together, creating a brief with the Team Wales Athletes Commission, to finally see the finished product. It was crucial for us that the Athletes Commission were heavily involved in the collaboration with Julien and his team. They are the voice of the athletes going into the games, and whilst our Gold Coast 2018 outfit was colourful and vibrant, they were confident a classic and smart look would better complement the Birmingham 2022 games. Its certainly been an exciting journey, and I’m sure working alongside Julien, who has dress the World’s most famous faces will further strengthen the support the team will have at the Games“

The full reveal of Julien’s design will be revealed over the coming weeks…keep your eyes on our social media channels.