Burberry and Marcus Rashford Inspire Storytelling with Iconic Dreamscapes Mural

Burberry have created another iconic mural in collaboration with footballer Marcus Rashford MBE – this time to promote his pioneering work to improve children’s literacy.

Featuring a stunning collage of words and images created by schoolchildren, the mural encourages young people to nurture the power of their imagination and ‘Be the hero of your own story’.

Marcus has been working with Burberry, the National Literacy Trust and Macmillan Children’s Books to improve literacy skills in underserved communities across Manchester, Yorkshire and London. Through funding provided to transform school libraries, book donations and teacher training, the initiative is helping disadvantaged children develop literacy skills, broaden their imagination and unlock new opportunities. To celebrate these initiatives, Burberry and THE FACE have created a limited-edition zine entitled ‘Dreamscapes’.

The zine showcases the work of the children from Holmleigh Primary School in North London, one of the sites supported by the initiative launched in November. Enlisting the creative mind of multidisciplinary artist Tegen Williams, Burberry and THE FACE co-hosted workshops with groups in years three and six, prompting students to creatively express their dreams. To encourage the students to think beyond their everyday reality, each pupil was asked to sketch and write about themselves as the heroes of their own futures.

Their art makes up the pages of the zine, alongside collages by Tegen Williams and imagery from the launch of the charity initiative shot by Campbell Addy. The drawings, reimagined in a tapestry of imagination by Williams before being painted form a mural crafted specifically for the children's neighbourhood on Tottenham High Road, London.

The A4 zine is printed in a limited-edition run of 1000 copies which will be distributed to a select network of art and community spaces in local Tottenham community spaces as well as broader locations in London and Manchester. The children’s artwork will also be displayed in the windows of stores including Artwords on Broadway Market, MagCulture on St. John’s Street & Unit on Steven Square.

DentsuMB UK handled the production and implementation of the work in close collaboration with Burberry, The Face, Vizeum Global, photographer Campbell Addy and artist Tegen Williams.

Burberry famously unveiled an iconic mural of Marcus Rashford, showing the footballer as both man and boy, in Manchester in December 2020.

Balpreet Mangat, Managing Partner at dentsuMB, said: “It has been incredible supporting Burberry on their journey with Marcus Rashford and delivering bespoke environments to bring the initiatives to life in the heart of the community.”

“We are all products of our communities. At times it can be difficult for children to see beyond what is on their doorstep so it’s so important to inspire, to motivate, and to offer opportunity that breaks them out of that restricted mindset. We want to offer every child the opportunity to thrive in later life so developing creative and engaging initiatives like this, projects that the children can see the result of their hard work in every day, is so important.” Marcus Rashford MBE

“We were so proud to partner once more with Marcus Rashford MBE and charities making a positive change in young people’s lives. It’s wonderful to see the impact of this work and witness students harness the power of creativity to craft their own stories, particularly in one of the new library spaces. We hope seeing their artwork displayed in the zine and the mural will continue to inspire more voices from the next generation to bring their dreams to life.” Pam Batty, VP of corporate responsibility, Burberry

“We love working with Burberry because, like us, they are constantly ripping up the rule book to innovate and break down barriers for the communities that represent Britain today. That why this initiative, working with an inspiring leader like Marcus, and a brilliant artist like Tegen Williams, whilst having a genuine positive impacting the lives of young people, is our dream project.” Jason Gonsalves, brand director, The Face

“We’re thrilled to have worked on this project with Burberry and The Face, enabling children from Holmleigh School to express themselves creatively through this fantastic mural, showcased for the local community to enjoy. This builds on our work to make primary school libraries a place where children can read, imagine, create and escape into a whole new world. We have even broader ambitions for the future through the Primary School Library Alliance* which aims to transform and equip 1000 primary school libraries by 2025, helping to create a new generation of readers who are better equipped to fulfil their potential.” Fay Lant, head of school programmes, National Literacy Trust