Members of our Rocky 7 programme got a unique insight into how football kits are made – and then got creative themselves – thanks to a special session with adidas this week.
Arsenal in the Community launched the Rocky 7 mentoring programme in memory of Arsenal legend David Rocastle back in 2021.
The programme aimed to support local young people by providing them with one-to-one support and exposure to a wide range of experiences that would inspire them and aid their personal development.
This year we have 18 young people on the programme who have taken part in a wide range of activities over the past eight months including stadium tours, Q&A sessions with Arsenal members of staff to discuss careers and hosting a Community Christmas football tournament in December.
Earlier this week, club partner adidas welcomed the group to its flagship store on Oxford Street, London. The group met with adidas kit designer Marco Omiccioli and product manager Youjin Cho, who took the group through the creative process of how football kits are designed and made.
Adidas staff worked with the young people to teach them how to use machinery that they use in store to stitch and embroider products as well as paint on materials to make each item unique.
The group were then each presented with an Arsenal Icon’s top, which they were supported in customising in the store’s creative lab. The young participants were able to paint and embroider their tops as well as learn how to make tote bags out of football shirts.
This was a unique experience for the group, who had never taken part in this sort of creative process previously. The young people were also joined by one of Rocky’s children, Melissa, for the occasion.
“I loved it!” said one of the participants. “It was definitely a fun experience and I would recommend anyone else to get involved. I just want to say a huge thanks to Arsenal and adidas.”
“It was interesting to hear how the designers make football shirts, and then to see how you can stitch, embroider and paint on them was great,” said another. “I’ve never done anything like this before so it was something new that I won’t forget.”
You can see the Rocky 7 team being taken through the process and getting creative with their tops in the gallery below…
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