LONDON — Foday Dumbuya, founder and artistic director of fashion label Labrum London, has been named the most recent recipient of Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design.

King Charles III presented the award to Dumbuya during a ceremony, which showcased all of the talent support initiatives of the BFC Foundation, at 180 Studios on Thursday afternoon.

The event was accompanied by a performance curated by Dumbuya, featuring two drummers, a guitarist, a Kora player, and a musician whose powerful vocal was “attempting to lift the foundation,” in accordance with Dumbuya.

In an exclusive interview with WWD, Dumbuya said the award is “a testament to the labor and dedication of myself and the countless individuals who supported me get where we’re today. And in addition the tremendous amount of labor that my team has put together.”

The designer, who wore a conventional English suit in the colourful shade of green to satisfy the monarch, added that he would dedicate the distinction to his fellow Sierra Leoneans in London.

“Whenever you have a look at it from a Sierra Leone perspective, these guys face such unimaginable difficulties and check out to develop something from a really poor background as there’s no infrastructure. So seeing someone looking like them doing it on a much bigger scale, I believe that’s going to alter the way in which they appear at it,” he said.

Meaning “having an edge” in Latin, Labrum London was founded in 2014 by Dumbuya with the goal to make practical, honest clothing that mixes West African and British heritage. The brand has been showing on London Fashion Week’s official calendar since February 2021.

“I need to depart a legacy for people in West Africa where in 50 years or so they are going to have a look at Labrum as a reference point. In the case of the clothes themselves, I have the desire to make designs that stand the test of time. Not necessarily in a ‘timeless’ style sense but more by way of the longevity of the garment. Fundamentally, Labrum tells stories that have an effect on people’s lives,” Dumbuya told WWD in a previous interview.

The designer holds a menswear design certificate from the London College of Fashion, in addition to a bachelor’s degree in Information System & Design: African Caribbean Society from Nottingham Trent University. Between 2013 and 2016, he worked as a bespoke design specialist at Nike.

Following the popularity, Dumbuya said he’ll carry on with the story he has been telling, and expand the Labrum London aesthetic to mediums beyond fashion design.

He’s one in every of the few London-based designers of his generation to have opened a physical store. Situated at Princes Arcade, St James’s, the shop is expecting a big uplift in foot traffic in the approaching days, in accordance with Dumbuya.

Just like the energetic performance King Charles witnessed Thursday, every Labrum London show thus far has been a tribute to his multicultural heritage.

For the autumn 2023 season, Dumbuya invited the audience to South London’s Brixton Village, where he grew up, for an immersive performance that involved poetry reading, dancing, live music, beer and grocery stands with African cooking essentials like cassava and plantains.

The designer said he had to pull everyone down south for probably the most authentic experience. “You’ve got to come back here to grasp. You’ll be able to’t tell the story in central London since you wander off,” he added.

A celebration of his journey from Sierra Leone to London via Cyprus, the gathering, titled “From Greener Pasture,” offered a wide selection of tailored pieces, outerwear in vibrant prints, two-tone denim, and a coat and a jacket printed with passport stamps.

“It’s all about travel. Whenever you come from Africa, you go abroad for a greater life. But once you live it, you understand it’s not what it’s. You’ve to work twice as hard and pay bills frequently. But that’s the journey, and folks move with their culture. That’s the thing I need to place on the market,” said Dumbuya.

Dumbuya is the sixth recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. Previous winners were Richard Quinn, Bethany Williams, Rosh Mahtani of Alighieri, Priya Ahluwalia, and Saul Nash.

Since 2018, a designer is chosen by the BFC, in collaboration with the Royal Household, every year for the award. The trophy is inspired by the Queen Elizabeth rose and hand-produced by Lucy Price at Bauhinia Studios and in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.

The British Fashion Council said Dumbuya was chosen for his ability to “bridge the story of his West African heritage along with his life in London and the history of British tailoring.”

Caroline Rush, chief executive officer on the British Fashion Council, said: “His works speak to what’s so unique and compelling in regards to the U.K. as a frontrunner in creative and fashion talent. On the BFC, we recognize our responsibility to support these incredible British emerging designers as they grow to be self-sustaining businesses and are honored and proud to proceed to accomplish that, particularly in the present economic climate as funding for the humanities diminishes.”

This just isn’t the primary time for Dumbuya to satisfy the reigning British monarch. Last November, the 2 met on the Victoria and Albert Museum, while King Charles was visiting the Africa Fashion exhibition with Camilla, Queen Consort.

“He said to me: ‘What are you fascinated about next fashion show? And I said: ‘I’m still telling my story, I suppose it’s going to be in Brixton. So would you come?’ He said ‘Would you invite me?’ I said ‘Yes,’ and he turned around to his team and said ‘He said I’m invited. Are you guys seeing this? I’m waiting for the invite.’ It was funny, the sort of conversation we had,” recalled Dumbuya.

Unlike his mother Queen Elizabeth, who hadn’t been to a fashion show till 2018, King Charles has long been involved with the British fashion industry. He launched London’s inaugural menswear fashion week in June 2012 at St James’ Palace. He can also be a champion of sustainable fashion with advocacy for the Campaign for Wool and the introduction of Terra Carta, placing sustainability at the guts of the private sector.

The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design ceremony is a key a part of the annual BFC Foundation Impact Announcement Day. BFC Foundation, the charity arm of BFC, has remitted 1.2 million kilos in funds to designers to designers and students within the financial yr 2022-2023.

It’s been revealed that this yr’s recipients for BFC Fashion Trust include Chopova Lowena, Fruity Booty, Molly Goddard, Neous, Piferi, and Richard Malone, while 16Arlington has been named the winner of the 2023 BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund.