Meet the four big names gunning for the BFC/GQ Designer Fashion Fund

If clothes should tell a story, consider Labrum London an epic masterpiece. Creative director and founder Foday Dumbuya dreamt up the brand to narrate hidden tales of “the diaspora merging West African values with British tailoring”. The result is classic menswear, but with prints, finishes and colours that transport the traditional suit to Sierra Leone.

As an alum of both Nike and DKNY, Labrum London was launched in 2015 – and it’s become a vessel for Dumbuya to hone skills that have been passed down from generation to generation.

It’s also attracted some big partners. In the past, the label has collabed with Guinness, Clarks Originals and Idris Elba to bring Dumbuya’s label into the main menswear chat – and Labrum London has plenty to say.

Bianca Saunders

It’s a long walk to the Met Gala, where Bianca Saunders arrived with Usher in tow in 2023. But the London designer made it through sheer determination and a signature that’s amassed a sizeable cult following.

For one, it’s mad elegant. But Saunders, who launched her label in 2017 after graduating from the Royal College of Art, has seemingly re-made menswear from the inside out as opposed to the ground up. You can recognise the suits, and the shirts, but the smaller things have been upended: sleeves billow out, fabrics are ruffled and ruched, prints, though sparing, play an optical illusion.

It’s clothes that everyone can wear without looking like everyone else. And now, Saunders wants to get everyone onboard.

Saul Nash

Bob Foster

The UK is impossibly good at sportswear. But Saul Nash is looking to elevate the technical menswear you’re so used to, and create a community by doing so.

With a background in professional dance, Nash launched his namesake label in 2018, and has since collected two big wins on the back of his hi-performance, hi-concept fashion: the International Woolmark Prize in 2022, and the Queen Elizabeth II award for British designer in the same year.

As the label grows stronger and more articulate with each passing collection, Saul Nash has turned a childhood obsession with sportswear into a fully mature fashion label.