Commonwealth Games: Team Wales dressed by Julien MacDonald

Welsh athletes will wear outfits at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony which have been created by top fashion designer Julien MacDonald.

From dragons to daffodils, he is taking inspiration from the traditional symbols of Wales which he loved growing up in Merthyr Tydfil.

He is known around the world for dressing stars including J-Lo, Beyoncé and Shirley Bassey.

The Games are being held in Birmingham, starting in July.

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"I grew up listening to Dowlais male voice choir, going to the Eisteddfod, dressing up for St David's Day, the Welsh lady, a dragon," he said.

"So all the outfit has been inspired by all the symbols of Wales that we all know and love.

"What I wanted to achieve was that when Team Wales walk into that stadium at the Commonwealth Games, people say 'Oh Wow, look at Team Wales, don't they look amazing?'.

"But what is Welsh? Is it a colour? Is it the way we sing? A dragon? A leek? It's all those things.

"I've used the symbols of Wales and the colours we associate with being Welsh. Red has got to be one of them obviously, and green, yellow.

"But I've used the colours of Wales and put them on a uniform so they look elegant, glamourous, so they stand out.

"I've even included Clogau Welsh gold. So they've gone from looking like athletes to superstar athletes."

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The Commonwealth Games is the only major sporting event where athletes and para-athletes take part in the same competition, unlike the Olympic and Paralympic games which are separate.

Creating an outfit that was accessible and right for everyone, was top of the agenda for MacDonald.

"The athletes come from all different backgrounds, different abilities, different ages, different sizes, but there is one uniform and they look amazing," he added.

"At the end of the day, you can't think about peoples disabilities. You have to think, do they look great? Can they walk in it? Can they move in it? Can they function? Do they feel strong and confident?

"But I think I've made it comfortable, functional, it looks Welsh, but it has to look strong and powerful and it has to make those athletes feel incredible."

The designs were revealed to athletes during a photo shoot in Newport, but the public will not see the full outfits until nearer to the Games.

Table tennis player Anna Hursey, who became the youngest athlete to compete at the Games in Australia four years ago, described the designs as "amazing".

Para-athlete Harrison Walsh, who competes in the F44 discus, added: "There's a team of people fitting a suit, moulding it to you, it was just really brilliant and something I've never really done before."

And 100m sprinter Jeremiah Azu said: "He seems like a real big icon in the fashion industry, so he's probably put a bit more passion into it because he's Welsh.

"When I'm in that stadium wearing it, that's when I'll be flooded with emotion."