When Team England step out at the opening ceremony at next month’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham they will be wearing Community Clothing. And we couldn’t be prouder.
Modern Games are about creating opportunity and building lasting legacies. This Commonwealth Games is all of that and also promises to be a celebration of diversity and inclusivity. It will be the first ever Games to feature both able bodied and para athletes on same schedule. And it will be a celebration of community.
Birmingham is a hugely diverse city, with a proud industrial heritage, the City of a Thousand Trades. It has much in common with the towns and cities in which we make our clothes and is home to many and varied communities, all of whom have had the chance to get involved with the making of this games.
When we first began discussions with Team England back in February 2021 they had a great shopping list of things they wanted from their uniform. Near the top of the list they wanted a WOW factor, and you’ll have to decide for yourselves whether we’ve achieved that. They wanted the clothes to be personalisable, whilst still ensuring they looked like a team, so every jacket comes with five velcro attachment points and nine velcro patches, designed by a group of artists and craft makers from across England, with which they can customise their jackets. They wanted the uniform to be sustainable, so the athletes, for the first time in a very long time, will be wearing clothes that are made within a hundred miles of the games, from the best quality natural materials, in factories with the highest ethical and environmental credentials. But more importantly they’re designed so they can be worn in normal life after the games. The Team England badge buttons on and off, and all the other badges can be removed. We are also encouraging athletes to pass on any items that they feel they may not wear again so that they can have a long useful life. And they wanted the uniform to tell a story. Well our story is their story; hard work, skill, diversity, community and pride.
I want to thank the brilliant factories who have helped to make this happen; English Fine Cottons in Manchester who spun the yarn, Aristo Fabrics in Leicester who knitted the jersey, Brisbane Moss in Todmorden who custom dyed the brilliant red for the jackets and also provided the fabric for the chinos, T Print in Blackpool who printed the poem onto the t shirts, and especially Victoria, Dave and all of the staff at Cookson & Clegg in Blackburn who have developed, cut and sewn every garment. The production of this uniform has been very much a team effort.
We can’t wait for the 28th of July.
Patrick
Founder, Community Clothing
When Team England step out at the opening ceremony at next month’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham they will be wearing Community Clothing. And we couldn’t be prouder.
Modern Games are about creating opportunity and building lasting legacies. This Commonwealth Games is all of that and also promises to be a celebration of diversity and inclusivity. It will be the first ever Games to feature both able bodied and para athletes on same schedule. And it will be a celebration of community.
Birmingham is a hugely diverse city, with a proud industrial heritage, the City of a Thousand Trades. It has much in common with the towns and cities in which we make our clothes and is home to many and varied communities, all of whom have had the chance to get involved with the making of this games.
When we first began discussions with Team England back in February 2021 they had a great shopping list of things they wanted from their uniform. Near the top of the list they wanted a WOW factor, and you’ll have to decide for yourselves whether we’ve achieved that. They wanted the clothes to be personalisable, whilst still ensuring they looked like a team, so every jacket comes with five velcro attachment points and nine velcro patches, designed by a group of artists and craft makers from across England, with which they can customise their jackets. They wanted the uniform to be sustainable, so the athletes, for the first time in a very long time, will be wearing clothes that are made within a hundred miles of the games, from the best quality natural materials, in factories with the highest ethical and environmental credentials. But more importantly they’re designed so they can be worn in normal life after the games. The Team England badge buttons on and off, and all the other badges can be removed. We are also encouraging athletes to pass on any items that they feel they may not wear again so that they can have a long useful life. And they wanted the uniform to tell a story. Well our story is their story; hard work, skill, diversity, community and pride.
I want to thank the brilliant factories who have helped to make this happen; English Fine Cottons in Manchester who spun the yarn, Aristo Fabrics in Leicester who knitted the jersey, Brisbane Moss in Todmorden who custom dyed the brilliant red for the jackets and also provided the fabric for the chinos, T Print in Blackpool who printed the poem onto the t shirts, and especially Victoria, Dave and all of the staff at Cookson & Clegg in Blackburn who have developed, cut and sewn every garment. The production of this uniform has been very much a team effort.
We can’t wait for the 28th of July.
Patrick
Founder, Community Clothing
Community Clothing says No! to Black Friday. Instead we say Yes! to a great deal for everyone, every single day of the year.
Today (20/11/25) is Social Enterprise Day! Patrick explains what a Social Enterprise is and why it's so important for our economy.
Our raincoats begin in Rochdale, at British Millerain. A sixth generation, family-run mill that’s been leading the way in waterproof cotton since 1880. Their fabric combines over a century of Lancashire craftsmanship with modern innovation, and we’re proud to make it part of our raincoats with it.
