On Wednesday 19th May, Marvel announced a three-year partnership with youth charity The Prince’s Trust to offer a mentorship programme for young people aged 16-30, interested in taking their first steps in the fashion and product design industry.
Over two weeks, the Get Started in Product Design with Marvel course will provide a specially created programme of workshops, which will culminate in The Prince’s Trust participants designing two Marvel product collections, supported by Disney’s design team. The first collection will focus on Marvel’s The Avengers and the second, will celebrate incredible female superheroes from across the Marvel universe, such as Wanda Maximoff, Captain Marvel, Black Widow, Shuri, Ms Marvel and Okoye.
The programme will help the participants gain entry experience in product design, with guidance and mentorship from Disney designers, marketeers and retail teams. The initiative aims to help under-represented young people get the best possible start in their career, supporting them with the development of their personal and technical skills.
Earlier this year, The Trust released its Youth Index survey, which interviewed over 2,000 16-25 year olds.* The study revealed that 60 per cent of young people believe securing a job is ‘impossible’ because of the rise in competition, and almost a quarter of respondents (24%) state that the pandemic has destroyed their career hopes. Over half of young people (55%) also revealed that the political and economic effects of Covid-19 have made their mental health deteriorate.
At the end of the programme, The Prince’s Trust participants will see their Marvel product collections go on sale online at shopDisney and at Disney Store in the UK and across Europe.
To support the three-year partnership, Disney is also making a commitment of a £100,000 donation to The Prince’s Trust each year of the programme.
Ben Marson, Director of Partnerships at The Prince’s Trust said: “It has been a difficult year for young people, with rising unemployment and disruption to training and education opportunities having a devastating impact on their lives. Now, more than ever, they need opportunities to upskill, reskill and build the confidence they need to move into work, education and training.
“That is why we are so pleased to be working alongside Marvel on this new programme, which we know will offer our young people the invaluable hands-on learning and experience they need to pave the way for a career in product design.”
Tasia Filippatos, Senior Vice President, Disney Consumer Products, Games and Publishing EMEA said: “The fashion and design industries can be hard to break into so we’re delighted to be partnering with The Prince’s Trust to give young people valuable experience in this space.
“Marvel characters and stories have inspired a host of incredible fashion and design collaborations from Adidas and Vans to Vetements and Coach, and we can’t wait to see what our talented group create.”
The first production collection (The Avengers) will drop online at shopDisney and at Disney Store in the UK and across Europe in winter 2021.
About Prince’s Trust research
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,180 16-25 year olds. Fieldwork was undertaken between 25th November – 8th December 2020. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK 16-25 year olds.
About The Prince’s Trust
The Prince’s Trust helps young people all over the UK to build their confidence and skills and supports them into jobs, education and training. Founded by The Prince of Wales in 1976, the charity supports 11 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed, struggling at school and at risk of exclusion.
Many of the young people helped by The Trust are in or leaving care, facing issues such as homelessness, mental health problems, or have been in trouble with the law. The courses offered by The Trust give young people the practical and financial support needed to stabilise their lives, helping develop self-esteem and skills for work. Three in four young people supported by The Prince’s Trust move into work, education or training.
The Trust has helped over a million young people to date. Further information about The Prince’s Trust is available at princes-trust.org.uk or on 0800 842 842.