‘If my work can make someone feel braver, I’ve done my job’published at 19:22 GMT
Hannah Karpel
Live reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesFoday Dumbuya during London Fashion Week September 2024 at the Emirates Stadium
Foday Dumbuya, the designer behind Arsenal’s away kit, is nominated tonight for British Menswear Designer of the Year.
When we speak, he tells me he built Labrum London on a celebration of the West African diaspora and British tailoring.
“I still feel like that kid who arrived in the UK trying to make sense of two worlds,” he says. “To now be nominated alongside designers I respect is a reminder that staying true to your story, your craft and your purpose really does matter.
“Honestly, it feels surreal and deeply humbling.”
His new collaboration with British retailer John Lewis is a collection designed to champion diversity in British fashion through prints and cultural codes.
“If my work can make someone stand a little taller, feel a little braver, or see their background as something to celebrate, then I’ve done my job.”