Foday Dumbuya‘s latest collection was all about the textiles – ikat, tartan, embroidered cotton and printed silk – and how they bind together diverse cultures and continents. To hammer home that message, he put Harris table looms on the runway, invited weavers to ply their trade and opened the show with a Shakespearean-style monologue about culture, travel and mapping the world with fabric.
It was all set up to be an earnest, and potentially dull, 15 minutes, but then the clothes appeared in a burst of summery color, snazzy tailoring and a whole lot of attitude. Within seconds, the mood shifted.
Every piece in this collection had appeal, from the military-style trouser suits with patch pockets and gold chains meant to mimic officers’ regalia; to the block-print dresses, trenches and trousers in sea foam green and cyan blue; to the roomy dark blue shirts with delicate white embroidery winding across the front.
It’s no easy feat to send out a collection that’s wearable and full of swagger but Dumbuya managed it, with models dressed in denim block-print tailored suits, or curvy dresses, sporting hats shaped like giant rooster crests made from the same fabric as their outfits.
Dumbuya worked crochet, raffia, Indian embroidery and Chinese silks into the mix, and took inspiration from the traditional pottery of his native Sierra Leone, meaning that every inch of this collection was a visual feast.
He planted a black fabric flower to the lapel of a cream embroidered suit; added a diagonally curving row of dark toggles down the front of a white coat with a tall collar; and whipped tartan fabric into sarong-like skirts and matching suits that he paired with sneakers.
It was a joyful outing, and there’s more to come. Labrum is a regular collaborator with Adidas, and has a three-way project with the German sports brand and the retailer End that drops in early April.
He’s also designed a one-of-a-kind bag for Land’s End, and is planning to open his first store – in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in a few weeks. Whether or not he recites a monologue, this year is set to be Dumbuya’s moment in the spotlight.