Three Enlist Central St Martins For Chelsea Kit Initiative

Chelsea and Three UK have enlisted fashion college Central Saint Martins in a bid to ‘reimagine’ football for the modern ‘connected generation’.

The activation is a result of Three linking its first ever football sponsorship in Chelsea with its partner of three years, Central Saint Martins. 

More than 80 students from Central Saint Martins’ BA Fashion and BA Fashion Communication and Promotion courses have been tasked with engaging future generations of football fans through connected apparel as the Premier League club looks to explore the intersection between football and fashion.

The students will have an interim virtual review with a creative panel consisting of all parties involved, as well as insider guests, including Football Design Director at Nike, Chelsea’s shirt manufacturer, and Raphaelle Moore, from non-profit design and talent incubator, Fashion East.

“We are so excited to see what innovative and creative design the students come back with as it was such a natural fit for all of us,” said Aislinn O’Connor, Marketing Director, Three UK. 

“Through the combination of the breadth of this brief, the 5G lab, and our partnership with Chelsea FC, they have a wealth of insight and learning opportunities at their fingertips that we hope they will all revel in.”

Gary Twelvetree, Marketing Director, Chelsea, added: “We’re proud to call London our home, and this collaboration with Three and Central Saint Martins gives us the opportunity to celebrate and champion the incredible talent our city has to offer. Fashion, style, and design are intrinsically linked to the club through our history and geographical heritage, and we can’t wait to see what the students come up with when they fuse the broader societal themes that are woven into the brief.”

The project will culminate in students presenting their work in January 2021, while final designs must be either unisex or gender neutral. Three then has the opportunity to purchase the rights to take any ideas forwards alongside the student if desired.