A powerful community-led initiative is helping to define what football means to young people in east London.
Kitted for Culture is a creative project based in the iconic Hackney Marshes, bringing together local youth to explore identity, fashion, and football beyond the pitch, through interactive workshops.
Lukman Ipese, a graphic designer and MA Visual Communication student at the Royal College of Art, explained the idea for his project came about as he was exploring team kits as cultural artefacts.
He said: “I really wanted to show that football kits can have this political or cultural message, and that it’s more than just a pretty design.
“It reflects a space, an area or a people. I think that’s really lovely and I wanted to do that.”
Through hands-on workshops, Ipese was able to engage with 25 under-12s from grassroot football teams where he helped them design their football kits which represent their own personal stories, backgrounds and culture.
Ipese wanted the kits to be a means of self-expression for the students and to highlight there are several ways to engage with the sport.
He said: “I wanted to show that you don’t just have to become a professional football player.
“You can design your own kit, look at magazines, you can be a writer or a sports journalist.
“You don’t always need to just play football to enjoy it.”
Ipese hopes to turn the kits designed by the young participants into real kits which will also be celebrated through a fashion show- putting their hard work, creativity and stories centre stage.
Featured image: Lukman Ipese
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