Banksy is a notoriously elusive individual, and the majority of us will probably never figure out who the heck he is.
However, he has just made his mark on one of the most impressive Glastonbury sets of recent times, being the designer behind Stormzy’s stab-proof Union Jack vest.
The 25-year-old grime artist gave an electrifying performance, which has just become all the more iconic after fans found out who was behind the striking vest design.
Banksy announced his creative input on Instagram, making the following comment:
I made a customised stab-proof vest and thought – who could possibly wear this?
Stormzy at Glastonbury.
Fans already loved Stormzy’s bold look, and were blown away after realising they had actually been looking at the work of two British icons.
Many have applauded Banksy as a ‘genius’, with one person remarking he was ‘still the coolest person EVER’.
Others praised the strong statement the vest encapsulated, describing the piece as being capable of ‘making an impact’
Stormzy wore his stab proof vest for the first five songs of his Glastonbury set, and appeared to be using his clothing to make a powerful statement about knife crime in London.
His third song, First Things First, was accompanied by a display of sobering crime statistics in the capital, further cementing the Croydon-born MC’s reputation as one of the most political voices in British rap.
In October 2018, Stormzy opened up about his own experiences with knife crime, revealing he had been stabbed three times.
Speaking with The Sunday Times, Stormzy spoke about visiting the Midlands on a pre-fame project management course, only to find out how shocking his lived experiences were to others:
It was in Tipton. We’d gone there to do the work of the people we were to manage, like welders and in the room were 17 white kids.
One day we had our hard hats off. I had a scar on my head and someone goes ‘what happened?’, I said ‘Oh, I got stabbed’.
I will never forget. I was explaining ‘I got stabbed here, there, there….’ They had faces of horror – and that’s when it dawned on me. Where I come from is mad. Of course it’s shocking I’ve been stabbed. Of course it shouldn’t be normal.
So many questions about this vest. Does this mean Stormzy actually knows Banksy’s true identity? Or was this gifted to him in the post? Like everything surrounding the street artist, this will no doubt remain mysterious…
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.