Watch - Piccadilly Gardens busker stars in Native Youth fashion campaign

Manchester has a number of 'legendary' street performers: the beatboxers, the Darth Vader who plays the keyboard, those weird seven foot giants who hand you lollipops outside Primark...

Yet local street dancer Danny Henry is in a league of his own. 

Usually found busting moves at Piccadilly Gardens, Henry has long earned his stripes as a local treasure with his suave samba and capoeira dance skills (a welcome distraction from all the other oddities that congregate near the bus stop).

He currently stars in Manchester brand Native Youth’s latest fashion campaign.

In the Spring/Summer campaign Danny emerges - somewhat ominously - from behind large fern plants before performing his signature capoeira-inspired movements, while embodying the brand's latest unisex collection. 

A local street dancer might seem like an unusual casting choice for Native Youth – who has twice been named' Young fashion brand of the year' but the dancer’s contagious energy and passion for dancing made him a perfect fit for the brand’s latest offering. 

The campaign is partly inspired by Samuel Ullman’s Youth, a popular 1918 poem that highlights the notion that “youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind” – something that Henry, who has been dancing for almost 50 years, perfectly embodies. 

Henry has been working the Manchester dance scene since the 70s

Henry has been working the Manchester dance scene since the 70s, dancing in the glory club days of the Hacienda and Rafters before teaching various classes across Manchester – and of course, he can often be spotted at Market Street alongside Gambian Kora player Jali and other African musicians.

Aisling Lafferty, Marketing Manager at Native Youth, said: “Danny is a local treasure and we couldn’t imagine anyone better to represent the mood of the collection and type of inclusivity we promote at Native Youth. Our latest collection combines contemporary and classic to create something new and we have very much enjoyed shining a new light on an understated icon.”   

With youthful energy at the heart of the new collection, you can expect colourfully bold and print-heavy garments from the spirited spring range. Native Youth’s signature style can also be anticipated throughout, with contemporary updates infused into classic pieces to offer the perfect balance between style and substance. There are also co-ords a plenty, meaning that building an elegant capsule wardrobe this season will be an effortless task. Textured fabrics also play their part in the new collection, with a focus on towelling, tencel – a sustainable fabric crafted from wood pulp - and peached finish jerseys.