The Interview: Daniel Beardsworth-Shaw on his new creative direction for Russell & Bromley

Russell & Bromley is one of those British footwear brands that has stood the test of time. But this season, the storied brand is shaking things up with its first-ever Creative Director, Daniel Beardsworth-Shaw. In this exclusive interview with TheIndustry.fashion, he tells us how he's reimagining the heritage brand for today's audience.

Beardsworth-Shaw is on a mission to make Russell & Bromley feel fresh, modern, and undeniably British, without losing sight of its 140-year heritage.

As the brand’s first-ever Creative Director, he is drawing on his experience at Hunter and Sweaty Betty to reimagine everything from footwear to accessories. His goal? To curate collections that nod to iconic British fashion movements while appealing to a new generation of style-savvy customers.

With his first full collection for AW25 about to drop, Daniel Beardsworth-Shaw tells TheIndustry.fashion about balancing retail data with creativity, design inspiration and the delicate balance between heritage and modernity that will shape the future of Russell & Bromley. He also hints and the possibility for global and category expansion, so "keep your eyes peeled".

You previously held senior design roles at Hunter and Sweaty Betty. Can you tell us about your career trajectory?

My career trajectory has been fast! It's been a lot of late nights & weekends and hard work to get to where I am now, but it's been the best kind of whirlwind. I love what I do.

To get to the position I am at my age is something I'm very proud of, but it's all down to hard work and dedication.

What is it about Russell & Bromley that attracted you to the brand?

I think the fact that it hadn't told its story. I could see so much potential and scope to talk about the wonderful heritage in a cool, modern way.

The brand had always been there in the background, but hadn't pushed itself forward. I was surprised to learn how old it was. It feels very exciting to jump back into the world of heritage, but take it in a modern direction. I loved the family and the CEO (Andrew Bromley), so it quickly felt like a new home.

You’ve worked at both large high street retailers - how do those experiences inform your leadership now?

You take things with you along the way to shape how you learn and develop. Every experience you work through gives you something new. My leadership style has changed for sure. I lean into collaboration and cross-pollination heavily now, encouraging teams to work together, connecting them to build relationships so that they feel confident together.

You hire a team because they're great and they make you look great, so you want to nourish them and develop their skillset to deliver strong results. You want them to want your job and to want to replace you eventually! That's what makes great leaders of the future.

You're the first-ever Creative Director in Russell & Bromley’s 140-year history. How are you approaching the task of reimagining such a heritage brand? 

By looking to our rich archive to inform our current and future designs, I have spent a lot of time in our archive to curate a new design language that will be introduced for AW25 and will provide consistency to our DNA. Our printed archive dates back to the 1900s, so there is a lot to play with. My approach has been to really get under the skin of the brand to understand it, inside out and to analyse how we've progressed from a retailer to a brand in our own right.

The aesthetic is evolving into a more modern direction, but heavily informed by our past and our brand essence. It should still feel very true to us. I want to create collections that resonate and create a sense of understanding of our rich brand story, so when you walk into store, you instantly feel our heritage and DNA. You want to feel trust and have an emotional connection with the brands you shop from, and that is only done by looking back to look forward.

We are using our past to inform the future.

What does ‘Britishness’ mean to you in a design context, and how are you weaving that into the new creative direction?

It means a lot, Britishness, especially when it comes to design and fashion, is incredible. We are such a tiny island that has found so much creativity; it's very impressive. I've been around catwalks since 2012, and so I'm lucky to have been surrounded by so much talent as a young designer - the UK is a fun, exciting melting pot of talent.

Britishness also means difference to me - we always pick our own paths, whether that be traditional or quirky. For AW25, I am weaving this through by reflecting on the iconic British fashion eras that changed the face of the global fashion industry - punk, mod culture and club kids. British artistic nature has been so beautiful, I'm constantly inspired by it and want to bring it into our everyday for AW and beyond.

What kind of customer do you envision shopping at Russell & Bromley in 2025, and how does that compare to five years ago?

It's a combination of existing customers who have shopped with us for years and who want something from a brand that they trust - we are fiercely proud of them - and then two new customer demographics.

You have the returning customer who has shopped with us in the past and knows us, but has never found what they were looking for. They are very style-driven. Then we have a brand new customer who we're really excited to welcome through our doors. This new customer is coming to us for our updated, directional designs. We have a very loyal following and we're passionate about continuing to serve that customer. We don't want to alienate them, and we will still maintain our core classics for them, but we do want to gain traction with the customer who has heard of us but hasn't felt inclined to shop with us before.

Customers are looking for design-led, quality pieces they can invest in and rely on,  which is exactly what we are and have always been; we are just being more confident and forthright about our messaging now. Combining that messaging with an in-house design team for the first time allows us to provide more trend-led styles.

Can you tell us about your first full collection landing for AW25?

AW25 is a retrospective ode to the British fashion movements that helped shape the industry throughout the 20th century and into today, focusing on three pivotal subcultures that continue to shape the industry today: British Mod Culture, Punk and Club Kids.

The collection captures the zeitgeist of these eras and identifies the brand's synchronised evolution. This will be our first cohesive collection where design language runs seamlessly alongside a curated colour palette and with products built as families to make it easier for our customers to shop.

Do you look at bestsellers or sales data to help influence design decisions, or do you prefer to lead with instinct and creativity?

Absolutely. Our customer is key, and so analysing what they are shopping for is vital for success. We look at bestsellers and customer shopping habits to blend with our inspiration and creativity. We bring that all together.

We have to pull in our best sellers and customer trends when collection planning, but also ensure we are pushing ourselves into a modern direction by developing fashion-forward ideas to give us a point of difference from everyone else on the footwear scene.

Where do you see the biggest opportunities for growth? 

The growth opportunity is endless. This brand can go anywhere. So, if we get footwear and bags right, we can propel into different directions. Small leather goods and accessories are definitely in my plans at the moment.

I'm also looking forward to taking this brand beyond the UK. It will be so wonderful to see the world embrace us. We'll be pushing boundaries and designing into categories you wouldn't expect us to do over the next few years. But we're definitely working on nailing footwear first.

If you had to sum up your vision for Russell & Bromley in three words, what would they be?

Confident, relevant and cohesive.

What does the future hold for Russell & Bromley? Is there anything we should be keeping our eyes peeled for?

Our upcoming AW25 campaign launch with our first famous face since the 90s - that will be dropping early September. A huge moment for us.

We've just dropped our beautiful new collection. I am underway with SS26, which is looking great, and already starting to look at AW26. So, we're going from strength to strength. Keep your eyes peeled for something large this AW - something you won't be able to miss...