19 September 2024 |
North London’s Arsenal Stadium isn’t exactly the kind of location you’d expect to see a fashion show. Find your seat on the bleachers between a colossal cohort of home fans and you’re probably gearing up for a match. But if that’s what you’re up to this football season, you’ll notice that the kit worn by the pro players was designed by British fashion brand Labrum. Perhaps a catwalk isn’t so out of sorts after all.
Off the back of his collab with Arsenal FC on the upcoming season’s gear, Foday Dumbuya’s SS25 Labrum collection was presented, not just in the famed stadium, but on Declan Rice who walked the runway alongside the models and a gaggle of other well-known cultural figures including Clara Amfo, Mawaan Rizwan, Amanda Reifer and Michael Dapaah. Rice wore a tailored navy blue suit with an interwoven swath of white fabric laced through the breast.
Marching along the perimeter of the field to a spoken word recital from grime artist Ghetts, who opened the show, models donned layers of colourblock wraps and drapes in tones of orange, green and pink as Arsenal player Riccardo Calafiori, sports commentator Alex Scott MBE and actors Bashy and Micheal Ward watched from the stands. Tailoring was key, textures were palpable and patterns utterly striking, with one standout jumpsuit having been crafted from spliced up Arsenal x Labrum jerseys, Frankensteined back together.
Always an investigation of immigrant experiences and the diaspora, Labrum SS25 paid homage to the global influences that shape the world, delivering a joyous range where West African and traditional Indian dress was reinterpreted through a London lens.
Photography courtesy of Labrum.
