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What started as a small art project in the heart of Accra, Ghana, FREE THE YOUTH quickly developed into a multifaceted company founded by members Jonathan Coffie, Kelly Foli, Winfred Mensah, and Richard Kweku Ormano. Close to their roots, the brand now connects young Africans all over the globe. With the initial goal of showcasing Ghanaians’ finest streetwear and a glimpse into its fashion youth culture, the brand/collective is now taking over the streets of several European cities, while bringing the African heat with them.
The community driven company first made noise building for themselves a strong social media presence, placing an emphasis on the Ghanaian art scene from its unique fashion sense to their diverse musical taste. Shortly after, their content became a platform where streetwear enthusiasts from Ghana and beyond could connect. This drew the attention of famous celebrities such as Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa. FREE THE YOUTH then established a clothing line celebrated internationally, followed by a creative agency and NGO.
In may this year, their first flag store opened in Accra, a testimony to the success and heights they have reached so far. A few months later, they would announce their first European pop up store from September to October, asking their supporters through social media, which European cities they should plan visiting. This resulted in the decision of planning to tour in the city of Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Zurich and Barcelona.
Midway through their exceptional european tour and the collective have already reached heights beyond imaginable. With their first stop reaching the streets of Paris, FREE THE YOUTH built a temporary store for the Parisian youth to ravish upon. Their presence brought crowds of eagered teenagers to the Pigalle 7 Rue Henry Monnier, proving that their decision to travel to the city was well worth the wait. Additionally, the Ghananian brand was evidently well-received and this day marked as a memorable moment for the culture.
Their second pop up took place in the city of Berlin on the 8th of October, installed within THE HUB by SOLEBOX. This caught the curiosity of Berlin’s youth of diverse backgrounds and nationalities, and left them eager to learn more about this collective. FREE THE YOUTH then took their next stop to the city of Amsterdam, making their presence known for two entire days. The creative community received them with open arms, proud in supporting a brand that hustled from the ground up and were willing to introduce themselves to the European youth in person. To their Amsterdam experience, the group shared ‘The Love is unreal! We’ve been looking forward to this and the results were much more than we expected’.
Their latest announced tour date is set to occur in the city of Antwerp on the 20th of October, at Kloosterstraat. This will mark as their fourth official stop, leaving them two more European cities two conquer. Looking at their journey so far, if there’s one thing we can be sure of is that FREE THE YOUTH will always make sure to reach communities and build connections through their brand. Now at the peak of their stardom, they’ve only scratched the surface and fans and new supporters alike can’t wait to see what more they have up their sleeve.
