Foot Locker Launches Artistic Grant to Empower Young Creators

Foot Locker in Europe today announces an exciting partnership with Creative Debuts, offering young creators across Europe the opportunity to receive financial investments towards their futures. 

To re-enforce its commitment to supporting the youth community through relevant tools and platforms, for its Back to School 21 campaign, Foot Locker is launching The Young Creators Grant, offering €15,000 worth of financial grants to help young creators continue their work and passion for self-expression as they enter the new school year and fresh beginnings.

To be in with the chance of receiving a €500 investment from The Young Creators Grant, from the 5th -27th August, creators living in Europe aged 16-29 years old simply need apply here, submitting a link to their creative work, a short bio, and three photos of their work. Applicants must create work focused on sneakers, and sneaker youth culture – whether that’s illustrating kicks, or upcycling sneakers. The 30 recipients will be chosen by a panel of judges, including talents starring in the Back to School campaign film. T&Cs apply*.

The grants have been created to help young creators kickstart creative careers and ventures, and recipients are free to spend the money however they choose – from paying studio rent, to buying supplies or a new kit.

The campaign and partnership with Creative Debuts is the most recent instalment in the brand’s platform, ‘Shoes Don’t Change the World. You Do’, which celebrates today’s youth who are striving to make the world a better place. The platform acknowledges a need for change whilst demonstrating loyalty to its audience, with the latest campaign aiming to empower Gen-Z to create a brighter future together.

To help bring the story to life, the Back to School 21 film, directed by James Beattie, and photography captured by Raffaele Cariou, features leading voices in the youth community from the UK, Spain and France, who are using their creative skills to champion a brighter future for their communities and beyond.

UK talent, Elijah, uses his platform to publicly celebrate albinism, and discusses his hopes to create a more diverse and accessible modelling industry for future generations. Be is a Spanish illustrator, who’s work is inspired by fashion, sneakers and street culture. Her illustrations are colourful and upbeat with encouraging captions, blurring the line between fiction and reality. French creative, Abdoulaye, doesn’t limit himself to just one thing, and is currently an actor, dancer, and model.

The soundtrack of the campaign is by multidisciplinary UK based artist BEBELUNA. Identifying as gender fluid, BEBELUNA was born into a family of Somalian immigrants who came to London before they were born. Facing an internal battle to express themselves fully in a deeply religious household, BEBELUNA left the home at 16 and found refuge within the underground London music scene.

Carmen Seman, VP, Marketing for Foot Locker in Europe comments: “Our lives have been put on hold over the past year, but we’re ready to get back, back to our education, back to our beginnings, and back to our futures.  We’re passionate about supporting the youth community and helping them to achieve their hopes and ambitions for their futures in the new world.

“We’re so excited to have partnered with Creative Debuts to offer €15,000 worth of grants to young creators throughout Europe. We’re really looking forward to seeing the entries and helping young talent to continue to express themselves creatively.”

Creative Debuts is a platform celebrating the brightest emerging artists and designers across Europe, with the aim of making art more accessible and to help tackle the hurdles faced by undiscovered creatives.

Calum Hall, Founder and Creative Director at Creative Debuts comments: “Creative Debuts are thrilled to be teaming up with Foot Locker to champion and support talented young European creators. 30 creators will receive €500 support from Foot Locker to help support their creative dreams, this is a testament to Foot Lockers support of the creative community and commitment to celebrating diverse talent.

“In a time when brands are rightly being judged by their actions more than ever, it is refreshing to see a global brand like Foot Locker leading by example.”

In order to ensure that younger generations are ready for the new world, and fresh beginnings, from August 5th, Foot Locker is launching a new collection online and in-store featuring exclusive ranges and favourites including Nike TN, Jordan 1 Pollen pack, adidas Ozelia and Puma Mayze.

For more information on the campaign and artistic grants, click here.

The Back to School 21 campaign has been created in collaboration with AnalogFolk.