Fod's Fashionable Arsenal: The Labrum Founder on His Emirates Runway
In the home changing room at the Emirates Stadium in North London, I meet my interviewee. Not an Arsenal player, but an independent fashion designer. He goes by the name of Fods (short for Foday), but if he were a footballer, you'd call him Dumbaya.
We're here for London Fashion Week. He just unveiled the spring/summer 2025 collection of his brand, Labrum, pitch-side, under a surprisingly clear and blue September sky. I doubt the rows of red folding seats have ever propped up a crowd this chic.
That's not to say all were strangers to the venue; there were certainly some Gooners in attendance. Actor Michael Ward was there, a regular in the stands – just like Dumbuya.
“I'm obsessed with the club; I've been an Arsenal supporter for a long time,” he says, presenting a remarkably cool, calm and collected demeanour for a designer post-show. (That doesn't take me by surprise – his peers informed me prior to our meet that these are his factory settings.)
The Sierra Leonean embraced the team when he was twelve years old as he identified with the Black players, especially those with roots in the motherland. Midfield general Patrick Vieira and Invincibles right-back Lauren, to name but two. “Arsenal was the first British football club that had nine Black players – some of which who were African players – on the field. For me, that was everything.”
Earlier this year, he fashioned Arsenal's 2024/2025 away kit to salute its African fanbase. “We’re celebrating our connection to our African supporters via inspiration from the continent's design traditions,” the club communicated in its press release.
The uniform draws on the palette of the pan-African flag – so, green, red and black – and is festooned with swathes of a zig-zag pattern. An impressive statement for a world-famous football club. “I'm still thinking, 'Was that a hoax?',” Dumbuya confesses. “I feel like I've been dreaming all year!”
Adding to the surreality, Arsenal's very own Declan Rice showed his support by walking in the show – second in line in arguably the best look. He was joined by some other familiar faces, including rapper/actor Ghetts, TV and radio presenter Clara Amfo and comedian Michael Dapaah – talent that Dumbuya tells me “resonate with the work of Labrum”. The fits they sported – Rice, a suit (again, a standout); Ghetts, a parka; Amfo, a dress; Dapaah, a co-ord – are all inspired by the intersection between Africa and the United Kingdom.
In the short film that opened the show – displayed to guests on the two jumbo stadium screens – Dumbuya issued the slogan, “Designed by an immigrant, defined by resilience”. With this, he confronts the negative connotations of those that exist in the intersection. Labrum's purpose is to “celebrate the beautiful work that immigrants and migrants continue to do”.
“Most of the time, we talk about the person who comes to England on the boat,” he remarks with a smack of frustration in his voice as we sit on the changing room benches. “We talk about the people that actually travel here, come in legitimately, have a degree, get a job, work, pay tax and contribute to the society that we live in.”
As a West African who has spent most of his years in Britain, he discerns that “the only way people connect with other people's cultures is by understanding their culture.”
“Once you understand it, you tend to live in harmony.”
At a later point during our exchange, Dumbuya pulls a necklace out from under his silky patterned shirt. The silver chain supports a charm made in the image of a curious figure that also adorns several of the pieces that just came down the runway. “This is a Nomoli,” he says, smiling, before diving into a quick history lesson.
“They are artefacts made of soapstone that date back thousands of years; they have been discovered under the ground in Sierra Leone since the 1400s. Every time someone finds one, it helps yield their crops. Thus, the farmers of the country have long considered them good luck charms.”
He was introduced to Nomolis as a child: his mum got him his very own for his bedroom.
“I used to be scared of the dark, and when my mum would turn the light off at bedtime, she would remind me that Nomoli is protecting me, guiding me,” says Dumbuya. “It's been my lucky charm ever since, and I've included them in my past few seasons.”
With it, the uncanny totem brought Dumbuya the backing of The Three Stripes. Last year, he debuted his collaboration via a Labrum x Adidas Samba, and for SS25, he's put a spin on the Adidas Superstar: the first trainer – shoe, even – he bought with his own cash.
“I worked long hours at Poundstretcher, and with my second pay – not my first as, in African households like mine, your first cheque doesn't belong to you but to the people that raised you – I bought a pair,” he recalls with a smile, patently proud of his younger self's diligence.
The Labrum x Adidas Superstar exchanges the traditional sole for one that's heeled and crafted from Vibram (Italian-made vulcanised rubber). “Sports meets tailoring: a match made in heaven,” he says, pointing to the black sneakers on his feet.
It's a silhouette that makes sense within the context of a label that's concentrated on innovation, craftsmanship and culture since its founding 10 years ago. “We don't follow trends or hype,” Dumbuya asserts, “we care about community, culture, fabric, aesthetics.”
“We care about making garments better and more beautiful. About not wasting. About supporting our people. About celebrating the UK and Africa. We aim to educate people about African history because African history is global history. We want to continue to tell the untold stories for the next 10, 20, 30, 40 years.”
What a goal.
Labrum is available on Ssense, Farfetch and on its very own webstore. Fod's Arsenal collection is available from Adidas.
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