Menswear label LABRUM has become a firm fixture on the London Fashion Week schedule. Since launching in 2014, the brand has won funding from the British Fashion Council’s Newgen programme and the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. Most recently, founder Foday Dumbuya was nominated for British Menswear Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.
Dumbuya’s design language blends the spirit of his West African heritage with sharp British tailoring – a mix that has earned fans including Idris Elba and Cat Burns. He has also designed kits for the Sierra Leone Olympic team and Arsenal, with one of his shows memorably opened by his footballing hero Ian Wright.
Translating as “having an edge” in Latin, LABRUM’s silhouettes are rooted in practicality and simplicity, while a vibrant colour palette and intricate embroidery techniques add texture and personality. It’s a formula that has caught the eye of British retailer John Lewis, which last year announced its first menswear collaboration in over a decade by partnering with the label. A joyful sense of colour meets a utilitarian aesthetic in a range of tailoring, casual separates and accessories built for the modern, design-conscious shopper. In short, it’s bold, playful and wearable.
Influenced by Dumbuya’s formative years moving between cultures (he lived in Sierra Leone and Cyprus before settling in the UK), logos and symbols feature heavily throughout, ranging from the brand’s signature Nomoli logo to a jacquard cowry shell and sacred Adinkra symbols rooted in West African culture. Pops of red, turquoise and yellow inject a springlike feel to the colour palette, while neutral tailoring and dark-wash denim make for items that’ll easily rotate into your existing wardrobe. True to form, the collection carries the quality, considered design and accessible pricing long associated with John Lewis.
For some easy styling inspiration, lean into the Seventies by layering the retro-inspired open-weave striped shirts in brown and mustard together, or opt for the patterned mustard-toned blazer and suit trousers emblazoned subtly with minute letters spelling out the LABRUM name. A blazer and shorts set in golden yellow would look particularly sharp at a destination wedding, while dark navy and stonewashed denim separates add an urban edge.
Accessories round out the offering. There are caps and printed silk scarves which can be worn as bandanas, neckerchiefs or tied at the waist for a shortcut to spring style, while the oversized brown leather bomber jacket – stamped with the LABRUM logo – will work as well thrown over lightweight cotton shirts now as layered with thicker knits in the winter.
The John Lewis x LABRUM SS26 collection proves that intricate, thoughtful design and accessibly priced menswear needn’t be mutually exclusive. If you’ve been looking for a way to add a little LABRUM attitude to your wardrobe, this collaboration is the smartest place to start. Ahead, shop Esquire’s nine favourite items from the collection.
John Lewis x LABRUM Leather Bomber Jacket
John Lewis x LABRUM Short Sleeve Striped Linen Cotton Blend Knit Polo Shirt
John Lewis x LABRUM Cotton Blend Pleated Jacquard Shorts
John Lewis x LABRUM Regular Fit Cotton Blend Cutout Jacquard Suit Jacket
John Lewis x LABRUM Cotton Regular Fit LS Embroidered Logo Shirt
John Lewis x LABRUM Straight Fit Cotton Blend Jaquard Suit Trousers
John Lewis x LABRUM Cotton Oversized Fit Denim Shirt
John Lewis x LABRUM Nomoli Straight Fit Jeans
John Lewis x LABRUM Heavyweight Jacquard Hoodie
Shop the complete John Lewis x LABRUM collection online.