NAOMI PIKE

“I read magazines like nobody else that I knew when I was growing up.”

Words by Christiana Boules. Portrait by Morgan Hill Murphy.

Tentatively, my interview with Swansea born and raised Naomi Pike began on the topic of Welshness. Perhaps a little on-the-nose given our theme, but as someone who also spent much of their childhood in Wales, I couldn’t hide my excitement and Naomi was equally eager to share her pride. "I always say I talk for Wales; I would never say I talk for England." In her circles, the Welsh accent is rare, and perhaps there’s reason for its concealment. Before arriving at the London College of Fashion at 18, Naomi was asked at a Central Saint Martins interview if they had electricity in Wales. Moving quickly past my gasp, she went on to downplay (a typical Welsh trait) her path from tween magazine hoarder to commissioning editor for Elle UK.

Broadly speaking, Welsh talent remains underrepresented within high fashion, even compared to other devolved nations - it has yet to reach its fame, Naomi explained. Scotland has Christopher Kane, Ireland, Simone Rocha; yet Welsh stars are still rising (such as designer Paolo Carzana, who made their London Fashion Week debut in 2022). To redress the balance, “we need designers who also specifically reference Wales within the work, which then frames the culture as being worthy of high fashion.”

In her own career, Naomi credits the importance of internships, after her three-month internship at British Vogue turned into a six-year career there, becoming an editor and working across all areas of the brand. “I think if you want to have people working in fashion from all different walks of life, including the other nations, it’s about ensuring that there are amazing internships for them to apply for that are paid.” And thanks to the evolving industry, she also found opportunity at a young age, working as social media manager from the advent of Edward Enninful’s editorship.

Now holding serious currency, Naomi hasn’t changed much since her school days. What she looks for as an editor, she always looked for as a reader: “I really want to read magazines that are light and fun, and that doesn’t have to mean that they are frivolous or reductive.” A tear in her eye hinted that the transition from one role to the other was more of a feat than initially realised. Probing her “I suppose I was lucky, really” revealed the 13-year-old girl who was creating presentations on Kate Moss for school, and the 16-year-old college fashion magazine editor; the “heavily socialised” child who wore their Sunday best and delivered readings at church; the influential wedding dress designer grandmother, and the supportive father who nudged her to pursue her passion. So ordinary were the foretellings of her coming career that she forgot the eventful nature of its arrival—“I thought everybody cared about fashion as much as I did.”

As much as her accent has dialled down (a hazard for any out-of-towner coming to London), her childhood friends testify that she hasn’t: “You were a fashion editor when you were fourteen,” they say. They’re not surprised when she turns up to the small-town function without toning down her wardrobe. “There have definitely been times when I’ve turned it up for effect.” And though her accent has softened, Naomi and her Welsh accent are about to get stronger.

This Industry Voice is part of The Britannia & Éire Issue. Purchase your copy here.