Here come 'the chavs'

They idolise Jentina, listen to Dizzee Rascal and wear adidas tracksuits and Burberry caps while hanging around shopping centres.

Meet the chavs - the latest teenage trend. A study of 2,600 girls shows that 70 per cent consider themselves to be a chav, rehabilitating the traditionally derogatory label for travellers.

While some use the word as an insult - thought to be derived from "Chatham", the Medway town - youngsters have adopted it as a badge of pride, worn with as much cheap gold jewellery as they can afford.

They are usually found in packs, comparing labels and discussing music in shopping precincts.

They can be easily identified by their uniform of tracksuit, trousers tucked into trainers and wannabe bling-bling jewellery that closer inspection reveals to be more Argos than Asprey's.

Brands are crucial to chavs. They favour Burberry, Timberland, Fred Perry, Reebok, adidas and Nike - but in reality their wardrobes may reflect a tighter budget.

"We're talking about kids, so they don't have high disposable incomes," said Annie Auerbach, editor of mykindaplace.co.uk - which carried out the research.

"They love stores like Top Shop which copy sportswear labels - and a lot of these things can be found at markets too. It's a rare kid that can afford real Burberry. They spend most of their money on clothes so it's no coincidence that they hang out at shopping centres. It's somewhere to go after school and it gives them a feeling of community."

She said chavs - aka townies, neds and rudeboys - are by far the biggest of the "tribes" youngsters are increasingly identifying themselves in terms of. "Teenage years are unstable and kids need stability and identity," said Ms Auerbach. "Life changes so much, and being part of a tribe is one way of feeling secure. The way they express their tribe and identify each other and their enemies seems to be through clothing and music."

For chavs that music is most likely to be R&B - Dizzee Rascal, The Streets, Frankee and young diva Jentina (a chav idol who was born in a caravan to a Romany mother).

The website's findings follow a British Council report that identified nine teenage "tribes" based on clothes and music. The Foreign Office-funded body is using them to teach foreign youngsters about life in Britain.