Foday Dumbuya has spent the past few seasons asking what happens when people move.
For Spring/Summer 2027, LABRUM London brought that conversation to a close. The collection marked the final chapter in Dumbuya’s trilogy exploring “osmosis,” his way of looking at how migration allows cultures, ideas and traditions to move between people and places. After previously exploring music and textiles, this season turned its attention towards craft and the knowledge we carry in our hands.
Returning to the grand Westminster hall used for his previous show, Dumbuya once again brought British tailoring into conversation with techniques, imagery and materials connected to his Sierra Leonean heritage and the wider African diaspora. But instead of simply placing those worlds next to one another, SS27 showed how completely intertwined they have become.
Jackets were relaxed without losing their shape, trousers fell generously and shirts came with the sort of ease that made the collection feel lighter than some of LABRUM's previous work. The craftsmanship, however, was anything but simple.
Custom-developed fabrics brought texture to suits and outerwear, while intricate embroidery transformed clothing into a place for storytelling. One of the most personal examples came through scenes inspired by Dumbuya’s grandmother, who worked as a produce seller in Sierra Leone. Her story was painstakingly embroidered onto garments, turning family history into something that could physically travel with the wearer.
A geometric motif used across white fil coupé nodded to Olokun, the Yoruba deity associated with the sea, while techniques and materials drew connections between West Africa, India and Britain. LABRUM's now-familiar passport motif returned too, built using dates and destinations taken from Dumbuya's family passports.
Burgundy, moss green, ochre and bursts of saturated blue ran through the collection, with Dumbuya looking towards the work of American painter Jacob Lawrence for inspiration. Lawrence frequently depicted Black life, migration and people at work, making the reference fitting for a collection interested in the people behind the act of making.
LABRUM's ongoing relationship with adidas continued, with sportswear entering the collection without disrupting its more traditional tailoring. A floral motif connected to Nigerian Adire textiles appeared within the collaboration, while new eyewear and footwear developed with Dr. Martens pushed LABRUM's world further into accessories.
Plenty of designers talk about identity, heritage and migration, but Dumbuya has become excellent at finding ways to physically build those subjects into the clothes, whether through a weaving technique, a passport stamp, an embroidered family memory or the cut of a British suit.
