The British Fashion Council hosted its annual awards ceremony in London yesterday, and much to the delight of those in attendance, the event featured an appearance by a very special guest: His Majesty King Charles III.
King Charles was present at the ceremony in order to present the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design to Foday Dumbuya, the founder and creative director of LABRUM London.
The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design was created in 2018 to celebrate the fashion industry and highlight the incredible work of emerging designers throughout the country. Queen Elizabeth herself presented the inaugural award to Richard Quinn back in 2018, and since then the award has been presented by other members of the royal family, including both Queen Camilla and The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton.
Of the event, British Fashion Council Chief Executive, Caroline Rush CBE, said in a statement, "We are honoured to welcome His Majesty, King Charles III, particularly so soon after his Coronation and at 180 Strand, where we welcomed Queen Elizabeth II to launch the Award in 2018."
Rush continued, "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 work speaks to what is so unique and compelling about the U.K. as a leader in creative and fashion talent."
The awards ceremony certainly drew a star-studded guest list this year, as aside from King Charles, other notable attendees included David Beckham, Tan France, Sabrina Elba, June Sarpong and Woody Harrelson.
Foday Dumbuya launched LABRUM London in 2014. The brand's name comes from a Latin term which translates to 'having an edge.' As a designer, Dumbuya's clothing takes inspiration from both West Africa and British tailoring, seamlessly intertwining the two aesthetics. Now that Dumbuya has been honoured by King Charles himself, we can only imagine the designer's star will continue to rise.
