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Country & Town House: Great British Brands Live 2026 – Exploring the Future of Responsible British Luxury
Bags of Ethics joins industry leaders to discuss sustainability, global expansion, and the evolution of British luxury.
Congratulations to Country & Town House for hosting a successful Great British Brands Live 2026 at Town Hall by Bottaccio, London, on Tuesday, 14th April. Lucy Cleland, Editorial Director, and her team brought together around 200 British brands for a vibrant and thought-provoking afternoon.
The event created a dynamic platform for leaders across fashion, design, travel, automotive, beauty, and lifestyle to exchange ideas and explore the future of British brands in a rapidly changing global landscape.
Setting the Agenda: New Frontiers for British Brands
Opening remarks from Dylan John Jones OBE and Lucy Cleland set the tone for discussions around “New Frontiers for British Brands.” The conversation highlighted how businesses must navigate shifting global markets, changing consumer values, and accelerating technological innovation.
There was a shared recognition that British brands are redefining themselves—balancing heritage with innovation while evolving what “Britishness” means internationally.
Designing Tomorrow’s Luxury
The first panel explored how luxury is being reshaped by sustainability, experience, and artificial intelligence. Speakers emphasised that value is no longer defined purely by product, but by purpose, storytelling, and impact.
This perspective closely aligns with the work of Bags of Ethics (Supreme Creations), where sustainability is embedded at the core of business operations—from ethical sourcing to reusable product innovation.
Key themes included:
- The rise of personalised and immersive brand experiences
- Sustainability as a fundamental business principle
- The role of AI in enhancing creativity and customer engagement
The message was clear: future-facing brands must be responsible, adaptable, and purpose-driven.
Photo Credits: Country and Town House
The Great Debate: East vs West
A key highlight of the event was Panel 2, “The Great Debate – East vs West: Where should brands be going?”, where Dr R. Sri Ram, Founder and Managing Director of Bags of Ethics (Supreme Creations), joined a distinguished panel alongside Kiki McDonough (Creative Director, Kiki McDonough) and Fflur Roberts (Head of Luxury Goods, Euromonitor International), hosted by John Arlidge (business journalist and editor-at-large).
The discussion addressed a central strategic question for British luxury brands:
Should the focus be on the high-growth opportunities of Eastern markets, or the relative stability of Western markets?
Insights from the panel included:
- Asia continues to offer significant growth potential, driven by expanding affluent consumer bases
- The US remains a key market for scale and brand visibility
- Europe, while historically strong, may present slower growth in the near term
- Long-term success will depend on diversification and resilience rather than reliance on a single region
Dr Sri Ram brought a valuable perspective on the importance of cross-cultural collaboration and the growing relevance of markets such as India within the broader Eastern growth story.
Closing Conversation: The Business of Beautiful Business
The event concluded with a fireside chat, The Business of Beautiful Business, featuring Mary Portas and Charlotte Metcalfe. The discussion explored the balance between purpose, creativity and commercial success, highlighting the need for brands to stay both commercially focused and culturally relevant. It was a fitting close to a day that reflected how value today goes beyond financial performance, towards something more meaningful, lasting and human.
Photo Credits: Country and Town House
Looking Ahead: Purpose Meets Opportunity
The event concluded with a powerful reminder that modern luxury must go beyond aesthetics and profitability- it must deliver meaningful impact.
For Bags of Ethics (Supreme Creations), this reinforces a long-standing mission: combining British design excellence with ethical production and global collaboration.
Great British Brands Live 2026 demonstrated that the future of British luxury lies in authenticity, responsibility, and international partnerships, values that will define the next generation of global brands.
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