Cardiff Met students showcase talent in Team Wales kit design

Cardiff Metropolitan University students have teamed up with Team Wales and Specialist Sports to design the leisure wear kit for the athletes ahead of the Commonwealth Games next summer in Glasgow.

Specialist Sports, Team Wales’s official leisurewear kit partner and the distributor of adidas Teamwear across the UK and Ireland, was appointed by Team Wales last year to design and supply adidas leisurewear to athletes and team members for the 2026 Games.

The collection will be designed by students from Cardiff Met’s BA (Hons) Fashion Design Degree in collaboration with Team Wales and Specialist Sports.

Rebecca Edwards-Symmons, Chief Executive of Team Wales said: “Our partnership with Cardiff Met is working extremely well and we are really pleased to be able to offer this valuable opportunity to the students. To have Specialist Sports, adidas and Team Wales on their CV as a student will be hugely beneficial to their development. Our Athletes Commission have been central in working with the students on their designs and we can’t wait to showcase the final designs in Glasgow next year.”

The project began in January this year with a briefing introduction to the students from Team Wales, Specialist Sports’ Head of Design, Gavin Monk, and the Athletes Commission.

A total of 16 second and third year Fashion Design students are now working on the designs, which will be submitted in June this year and unveiled to the public in Spring 2026. The winning designer will work alongside Specialist Sports over the summer to finalise the kit designs before production begins in the autumn.

Dr Bethan Gordan, Dean of the School of Art and Design at Cardiff Metropolitan University, said: “Collaborating with top designers to produce the leisure wear kit for Team Wales is undeniably an unparalleled opportunity for our students and showcases the calibre of Cardiff School of Art and Design.

“At Cardiff Met, we place a huge emphasis on our links with industry. Our students gain invaluable experience through working on live briefs, alongside professionals, to equip them with the skills needed for their careers. We have some incredibly talented students taking part in this project and I look forward to seeing the finished products worn by athletes taking part in the 2026 Games.”

Head of Design at Specialist Sports, Gavin Monk said: “It's been inspiring to witness the Cardiff Met students embrace the power of storytelling in their designs. The brief challenged them to capture the essence of Wales – its heritage, its passion, and its athletic ambition – and they've responded with remarkable creativity. At Specialist Sports, we believe that a kit should be more than just apparel; it should be a narrative that resonates with athletes and fans alike. These students have truly brought that philosophy to life, demonstrating the incredible impact of design when it’s rooted in a compelling story."