Leicester Mercury

Label aims to shake-up designer brand market

CITY COMPANY IS TAKING ON THE LIKES OF GUCCI AND VERSACE

- By TOM PEGDEN tom.pegden@reachplc.com @tompegden

A STREETWEAR label wants to take on the likes of Balenciaga, Versace, Gucci and Fendi with its new range of sneakers and watches.

YoungBrit was launched in March with its designs inspired by the diverse fashions and cultural influences which make up Great Britain.

Its initial collection­s feature bright and bold designs and have iconic British names such as Piccadilly, Soho, Paddington, St Ives, Seven Sisters, Trafalgar and Whitehall.

The business was started by Kingsley Noel, who graduated with a masters in the sustainabl­e management of natural resources from the University of Leicester in 2010.

He said he had always believed in making things in a way that was better for people and the planet, which was one of the key inspiratio­ns behind his start-up lifestyle brand.

He said: “YoungBrit’s goal is to create a brand that brings people together through the power of creativity, community and memorable experience­s.

“YoungBrit offers premium-quality products with unique designs that are inspired by the diverse fashion and cultural fusion of Great Britain.

“All of our products aim to deliver the optimum quality and craftsmans­hip derived from experience­d and skilled craftsmen and women.

“Our vision is to make sustainabl­e products. We guarantee our customers the full satisfacti­on of wearing a YoungBrit product.”

Kingsley, who is originally from Nigeria and has a background in web design, previously launched an electronic toothbrush business called Denvio.

The product is equipped with motion sensors and powered by “artificial intelligen­ce” to recognise an individual’s brushing style and guide them to better brushing results.

YoungBrit is based in Leicester and Kingsley said it uses responsibl­e suppliers in the UK and China, following a strict ethical code to try to ensure the raw materials used have a low environmen­tal impact – and the people that work with it are fairly treated.

It was incorporat­ed during the pandemic and started trading this year, backed by friends and family who are sneakers enthusiast­s and supporters who want to promote environmen­tal sustainabi­lity. without breaking the bank. Our products, especially sneakers, are of a similar design and quality as the big designer brands such as Balenciaga, Versace, Gucci, Fendi, while being totally affordable.

“We aim to disrupt the existing designer market with similar yet affordable designs. “Our demographi­c is young people mainly. So far, we have good feedback from potential customers.”

 ?? ?? Kingsley said: “We want our customers to be able to purchase unique designs
Kingsley said: “We want our customers to be able to purchase unique designs
 ?? ?? STREETWEAR: YoungBrit is the latest venture from Kingsley Noel, right
STREETWEAR: YoungBrit is the latest venture from Kingsley Noel, right

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