In the 10 years since founding his label, Labrum London, Foday Dumbuya has experienced an ever-escalating series of career highs. Last May, he accepted the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design from King Charles III, while his three-year-old son looked on. His six sisters stood proudly by. ‘That was one of my biggest achievements to date,’ he says. ‘It was such an emotional day, and showed me that the work and stories I’ve created over the years haven’t gone unnoticed.’ Quite the understatement, considering the whirlwind 2023 the fashion polymath had.
For the Sierra Leone-born designer, who established his brand in 2014, fashion has always been a way to connect with his West African roots. ‘Designed By An Immigrant’ is the label’s defining slogan. And now his striking, joy-infused clothing has piqued the interest of stockists including Browns and Selfridges and stars from Idris Elba to Cat Burns. Dumbuya’s label is technically menswear, but he has a cultish following among women. He is the latest in a growing wave of men’s designers, including Martine Rose and Grace Wales Bonner, who have a strong customer base of women.
His AW23 show, held in Brixton Village, chronicled the realities of immigration and was hailed as a standout moment of London Fashion Week. ‘I’ve been consistent in my storytelling of Africa. It’s not about telling one story and then moving on,’ he says. For SS24, the designer explored the origins of artefacts in his native country, Sierra Leone. ‘Nomoli Odyssey’ centred around Nomoli figurines, a protective statue associated with the Mende and Kissi people. ‘Nomolis are lucky charms, and one of the earliest forms of art in Sierra Leone,’ Dumbuya explains. ‘I wanted to celebrate this. Expanding on culture is what Labrum London does.’
Dumbuya enlisted former England striker Ian Wright to open the show, at London’s Four Seasons hotel. ‘Ian Wright has been an icon of mine since I moved to London and he means so much to many young, Black British men. I aimed to integrate public figures of different generations while celebrating Africa.’ The collection transported his audience into a realm brimming with history, through illustrated textured shirts, tracksuits, raffia inserts and frayed co-ord sets in azure blue, red and gunmetal grey.
FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE
Dumbuya is one of the stars sitting at the pinnacle of Africa’s thriving fashion landscape, but it wasn’t an easy journey. Born in Sierra Leone, followed by a short stint living in Cyprus, Dumbuya moved to London with his family when he was 13. ‘Growing up, I found that the way people express themselves through their clothes was incredibly inspiring. It sparked my imagination, and a desire to create my own narratives through design and style.’ Despite his parents urging him to seek a more traditional, corporate route, he went on to study information design at Nottingham Trent. He says Ozwald Boateng was one of the first Black designers to help him – and his parents – realise that there could be a place for Black creatives in fashion. ‘Seeing a successful Black designer operate a brand and create beautiful clothing was inspirational.’
Next, he studied menswear at the London College of Fashion before eventually working for Nike, as a product and design specialist. ‘[Nike] gave me the confidence to believe that I can tell Africa’s stories through a London-centric perspective,’ he says.
Collaboration has always been vital to Dumbuya, with each partnership carefully selected to support his primary goal of amplifying West Africa. He designed Sierra Leone’s Olympics kit for 2020, and has worked with Netflix and Guinness on capsule releases. ‘With every union, I’m always considering how the story ties it back to Labrum, London, West Africa and British tailoring.’
The next 12 months will be as action-packed. First up is a new collection shown in two parts. Its opening section, ‘Designed By an Immigrant: Journey of Colours’, is ‘an exploration of human movements and migration,’ Dumbuya says. The second part, he reveals, will be celebratory, highlighting the beauty of migration in a world where countries continue to tighten their borders. And it will pair Labrum London’s expansive values with his vibrant, wholly desirable tailoring. This dazzling vision is contributing to a sea change in menswear. And he’s still only just beginning.
ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
