LABRUM presented the Sierra Leone uniforms for Tokyo 2021
African culture meets London design
June 19th, 2020
The 2020 Olympics have been postponed for a year but the National Sports Authority Sierra Leone (NSASL) has already unveiled the representative uniforms and kits that their national teams will wear during Tokyo 2021.
It is a series of items produced in collaboration with LABRUM London, a brand founded by Foday Dumbuya, a native of Sierra Leone and a former Nike designer, who uses fashion to tell the story of the communities of West Africa with the intent to fill the cultural gap present with the West.
Designed for more than sixteen disciplines, the LABRUM x NSASL collection develops through a green and blue color palette, inspired by the national flag of Sierra Leone. The first design used intertwines an "L" with an "S" to form a repeated motif, while the second print pays tribute to all ethnic groups within the country, with sixteen zigzags.
Dumbuya's relationship with the country's sports community began a couple of years ago, during a trip to Sierra Leone after an absence of 20 years: after making the decision to run a local marathon next to a group of boys who lived in Freetown, the capital, he realized the total lack of equipment
"I got their contact details and told them to come and visit me in Freetown the next day so that I could have an adequate conversation about why they do what they do" says Foday. ''15 of them came and I spoke to each of them, trying to understand how I could help them ''.
From that moment on, a series of mechanisms set in motion that led to the development of the entire collection, including the participation of Converse who contributed to the development of the presentation short film.
This unisex collection includes training jackets, home and away football kits, socks and a tracksuit, with all the proceeds collected that will be destined for youth and sports development in Sierra Leone.