The BFC Foundation delivers £1.2M to designer talent from scholars to designer businesses.
BFC is delighted to announce that LABRUM London is the recipient of The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. His Majesty King Charles III presented the award to founder and creative director Foday Dumbuya during an event at 180 Studios in London.
The event celebrated the impact of the BFC Foundation, bringing together its annual programme of talent support initiatives.
Key attendees: Adam Baidawi, David Beckham, Edward Enninful, Foday Dumbuya, Ib Kamara, Imran Amed, June Sarpong, Sabrina Elba, Sam Ross, Sandra Choi, Tan France and Woody Harrelson.
In the financial year 2022/2023, the BFC remitted £1.2m in funds to designers and scholars via its charity, the BFC Foundation. £1.1m was paid via the BFC’s grant giving initiatives including scholarships and talent support schemes BFC NEWGEN, BFC/GQ Designer Fashion Fund, BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund and BFC Fashion Trust. £139,200 was paid to designers through brand partnership collaborations secured by the BFC for its charity, the BFC Foundation, and its talent support initiatives.
The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design was initiated in recognition of the role the fashion industry plays in society and diplomacy and to spotlight talented young designers who make a difference to society through either sustainable practices or community engagement. The inaugural Award was announced and presented to Richard Quinn in February 2018 when Queen Elizabeth II visited London Fashion Week. In 2019, the prestigious Award was presented to Bethany Williams by Her Majesty Queen Camilla, in 2020 to Rosh Mahtani by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, in 2021 to Priya Ahluwalia by Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex and in 2022 to Saul Nash by the Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales.
Founded by creative director Foday Dumbuya in 2015, this year’s recipient LABRUM London is known for its representation of West African culture through a modern lens. The brand’s philosophy is centred on creating directional and purposeful pieces, by narrating untold stories of the diaspora. The label expertly fuses West African culture with traditional British heritage through reinterpreted, functional silhouettes and distinctive prints.
His Majesty has long been involved with the British fashion industry, having launched London’s inaugural menswear fashion week in June 2012 at St James’ Palace. A champion of sustainable fashion, His Majesty has longstanding ties with the Campaign for Wool and launched the Terra Carta to place sustainability at the heart of the private sector.
The BFC Foundation (Registered Number: 1185152) supports the future growth and success of the British fashion industry by focusing on education, grant-giving, and business mentoring. The charity aims to raise funds to maintain and grow its grant giving programmes with the support of an influential international Patronage Programme. This year the charity is able to support 39 designers and a number of students through financial support grants and mentoring.
Caroline Rush CBE, Chief Executive British Fashion Council commented: “We are honoured to welcome His Majesty King Charles III, particulary so soon after his Coronation and at 180 Strand, where we welcomed Queen Elizabeth II to launch the Award in 2018. We are delighted to announce LABRUM London as this year’s recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design as we celebrate the impact of the BFC Foundation over the last year. Foday’s designs beautifully bridge the story of his West African heritage with his life in London and the history of British tailoring. His works speaks to what is so unique and compelling about the U.K. as a leader in creative and fashion talent. At the BFC, we recognise our responsibility to support these incredible British emerging designers as they develop into self-sustaining businesses and are honoured and proud to continue to do so, particularly in the current economic climate as funding for the arts diminishes.”
The BFC would like to thank CHANEL and Dior Men for their partnership and named scholarship programmes that combine essential funding with unique access to each luxury brand. Scholars are additionally provided with a direct point of contact within Chanel and Dior Men’s team, to provide advice and mentoring support for the duration of their scholarship.