A stab-proof vest, emblazoned with a Union Jack and worn by British rapper Stormzy during his history-making performance at the Glastonbury Music Festival, made waves in the UK on Sunday.
Stormzy, the first black British solo performer to headline at the famous festival, delivered a politically charged show addressing the inequalities he said were faced by young black people in urban Britain.
The stab-vest, as well as crime stats appearing on screens as he took the stage, were references to increased levels of knife crime in London, where the 25-year-old rapper was born, and other British cities.
The vest was designed by artist Banksy, Stormzy said on his official Instagram account.
“Last night I headlined Glastonbury in a stab-proof vest custom made by the greatest, most iconic living artist on planet earth, the one and only BANKSY”, Stormzy wrote.
Banksy, the anonymous street artist from Bristol, 25 miles from the festival in southwest England, said: “I made a customised stab-proof vest and thought – who could possibly wear this?”
Stormzy’s performance was hailed as a defining moment for British rap by tens of thousands of fans, political leaders and other artists, including previous Glastonbury headliners Ed Sheeran and Adele.
“Stormzy just monumentally headlined Glastonbury in his own right with one album!!,” Adele said.
The Labour leader and leader of the British opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, who gave a speech at Glastonbury in 2017, said the performance was “political and iconic”.
“It won’t just go down in Glastonbury history – it’ll go down in our country’s cultural history,” Corbyn said.
