Sports Banger and Sacred Grounds Stir Faith and Fashion in Soho with ‘Prayer Beans’

​Wonderhood Design has devised a collaboration between fashion brand Sports Banger and Soho coffee shop Sacred Grounds which sees the launch of limited edition jewellery, and a zine celebrating Soho and the coffee shop affiliated with St Anne’s Church.

Sacred Grounds is a coffee shop with community at its heart, embracing a fusion of cultures, tastes, personalities, and energies that characterise the creative streets of Soho. Its collaboration with Sports Banger, a London-based, genre-defying fashion collective and bootleg operation founded by Jonny Banger, has been devised to celebrate one year of Sacred Grounds in the Soho community.

A launch event on 5th June saw exclusive designs available to buy for the first time, including limited edition, jewellery ‘Prayer Beans’: a playful take on Christian prayer beads featuring handmade glass coffee beans, hand-cast brass cross and Sports Banger’s screw face emblem–a sanctified blend of coffee and Christianity. The first buyer of the Prayer Beans received a live blessing from Revd Simon Buckley at the event.

The collaboration also saw the release of a 36-page zine, including a history of the church and its coffee shop; from Royal baptisms to drag queens and divine cappuccinos, as well as an interview between Revd Simon Buckley (puppeteer-turned-priest) and journalist Tracey Kawalik.

Sacred Grounds also released a new, stole-inspired scarf available for purchase.

​Simon Elvins, co-founder, Wonderhood Design and Head of Art, commented, “Sports Banger has a huge following and is known for making work with significant cultural impact. As a socially-conscious, genre-defying brand, it felt like the perfect match for the warm, open-hearted and welcoming yet spirited feel of Sacred Grounds - a small business keen to distinguish itself amidst a landscape dominated by chain establishments in London’s cultural heart.”

Revd Simon Buckley, rector of St Anne’s Church, added, "Thanks to the tireless creativity of Wonderhood we have once again worked together to ensure that our destination is positioned as accessible and attractive to the local community. I look forward to showering blessings on our congregation and the visitors who come to enjoy our coffee and get their hands on the limited edition designs. I have no doubt that this collaboration will help us to reach and speak to a new audience."

Revd Simon Buckley, rector of St Anne’s Church

Jonny Banger, founder of Sport Banger said, “We’ve been on a religious roll doing the artwork for The Blessed Madonna, a mass funeral with the KLF and now our first piece of jewellery - a set of Prayer Beans for the St. Anne’s Church coffee shop, Sacred Grounds in Soho- a partnership brought together by Wonderhood Design. It’s synchronicity that Revd Simon Buckley was a puppeteer for Spitting Image. We paid homage to Spitting Image in our last fashion show with a tear down of the government, pioneers in political satire. I’m not a Bible banger but my mum’s faith was the strength that gave her dignity in death. Thanks to everyone that came down and shared in the least debauched launch we’ve ever held. BYOB bring your own beliefs.”

Sacred Grounds occupies the former Vestry of St Anne’s. It offers a space not only to enjoy coffee but also to welcome the diverse local community and church congregation.

Having opened its doors to the public last Spring, its bold and playful brand world and visual identity was developed by Wonderhood Design to create a narrative which encapsulates the diverse human spirit of the neighbourhood and community.

The Prayer Beans, zine and scarves from the collaboration are available for purchase here and here.