Welsh heritage menswear brand Cambrensis has joined forces with South Wales-based Magnetic Book to present Genoa, a collaboration celebrating Italian heritage in Wales.
The collaboration centres on the historic migration of Italian families to South Wales. Named after the Italian port city of Genoa, from which many emigrants departed, the collection shines a light on the café culture that became a defining pillar of Valleys life.
Founded by Ioan Bowen-Pickett, Cambrensis is a Cardiff-based Welsh heritage menswear brand that blends storytelling, cultural preservation and contemporary design. Cambrensis uses fashion as a medium to document and reinterpret Welsh identity, combining personal history, industrial heritage and modern cultural commentary.
Magnetic Book is a South Wales-based cultural publication by Anthony Rivers documenting the original and most influential years of Massimo Osti’s labels in the UK, including C.P. Company, Boneville and Stone Island. The project explores how terrace culture, working-class identity and design innovation shaped modern menswear.
Genoa explores the story of Italian migration to Wales, tracing families who arrived to work in the mines before establishing the iconic Italian cafés of the South Wales Valleys.
A key visual element is the ‘Genoa Poste Italiane’ graphic, created by Cambrensis founder Ioan Bowen-Pickett specifically for this collaboration.
Inspired by vintage Italian postage stamps, the artwork has been reimagined with bespoke collaborative graphics and typography. At its centre is an original illustration of a Welsh rescue miner by Bowen-Pickett’s late great-uncle, Dewi Bowen, a respected Welsh artist who dedicated his life to documenting working-class Wales.
The capsule includes two core pieces: the Bardi Jacket in Medieval Blue and the Picinisco T-Shirt in Medieval Blue.
The campaign is brought to life through a cinematic fashion film directed by Ioan Bowen-Pickett and Mathew Pearce, shot at Viazzani’s Café in Merthyr Tydfil.
The Genoa fashion film will premiere on Friday 27 February at the London Welsh Centre as part of Wales Week London. The event, titled Cambrensis x Magnetic: ‘Genoa’ Exhibition, is invite-only and will be attended exclusively by industry leaders and cultural figures.
Prior to the film screening, there will be a live panel discussion hosted by Brandon Richards, with Ioan Bowen-Pickett and Anthony Rivers as guest speakers, exploring the collaboration, campaign development and the making of the fashion film.
Event partners include Penderyn Whisky, Aspire Merthyr Tydfil, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, Penhill Jones Properties and GRJ Interiors Ltd.
“This project has been about shining a positive light on immigration and cultural exchange at a time when the conversation around it can often be negative,” said Tony Rivers, author of Magnetic.
“The Italian cafés of the Valleys were built by families who came to Wales, worked hard, and became integral to their communities. Their story is one of warmth, resilience, and shared culture, and it’s a story that deserves to be told.”
Ioan Bowen-Pickett, Founder of Cambrensis, said:
“When Tony came to me with this idea, I immediately saw its power,”
“It’s a chapter of Welsh and Italian history that hasn’t been explored through fashion before. By combining our design approach with Tony’s cultural vision and my family’s artistic legacy, we’ve created something that feels both deeply personal and culturally important.”
