Champion London Youth campaign imagery by James Person-Howes

In a social listening study undertaken by Advertising agency The Corner, it was these ten negative words that were most common, to describe young people on social media.

Dangerous. Anti-social. Irresponsible. Lazy. Hostile. Rude. Violent. Angry. Selfish. Ungrateful.

It’s too often people are wrongly stereotyped by the way they look, or the way they talk. Underprivileged youths are simply expected to be a product of their environment, with slim chances of being taken seriously or even cared about by the masses.

American sportswear brand Champion and London based charity London Youth, have come together with the aim to combat these negative stereotypes, with a brand new fashion campaign made for the youth, by the youth. Fittingly titled Champion London Youth, the campaign is made up of a 5-piece t-shirt capsule collection, designed by Tim Head and named ‘LABELS.’ Each t-shirt design is inspired by the personal stories of five young Londoners, who have unfortunately faced the battles of being stereotyped in the past. It’s through the help and services of local youth clubs and organisations - members of the London Youth charity, that give support to these young people to overcome these struggles. However, it’s no secret that the closing of youth clubs and safe centres, has been a growing problem for many years, as we face hard times of youth funding being cut dramatically.

A report from Sian Berry AM of the London’s Lost Youth Services 2018, stated that local authority youth service budgets across London in 2017/18 are £39 million lower than in 2011/12. This represents an average cut of £1.5 million or 44% per local authority. During that period, 81 youth centres were closed and there were 800 fewer youth workers. There is a huge injustice for London’s young people, with less places for them to safely assemble and further develop their educational skills and creativity.

To further support the campaign, filmmaker James Person-Howes produced a short film, featuring the young people who shared their experiences and stories, which were later transformed into limited edition designs. The film portrays the positive activities available to the youth through their local youth clubs, such as performing arts, sports and more.

London Youth is a charity with a mission to improve the lives of Young Londoners. The Youth require opportunities outside of education and their homes, to create memories with friends and make positive changes within their communities. With a network of over 400 community youth organisations, London Youth have successfully created opportunities for tens of thousands of young Londoners each year. It’s so important that we shine a light on their work, as it’s detrimental to the development of young people, our future generation.

The exclusive Champion London Youth capsule collection launches today (27th November) on Giving Tuesday and will be available to purchase from the Champion flagship store, in Soho as well as in Urban Outfitters across London and online at urbanoutfitters.com.

Both Champion and Urban Outfitters will be donating all profits to London Youth, to help fund the charity’s arts, sports development, youth social action, employability and outdoor learning programmes.

‘LABELS’ the capsule collection by Champion to combat negative stereotypes attached to young Londoners