Arsenal’s new away kit is designed by an immigrant.
Foday Dumbuya, the founder and creative director of London-based menswear brand Labrum, wants you to know that.
Forget the demeaning connotations foisted upon people who have put down fresh roots in a country they weren’t born in by those who seek to divide — Dumbuya’s heritage is a point of pride, so much so that Labrum has used “designed by an immigrant” as a slogan on numerous products.
In collaboration with Arsenal’s usual kit supplier Adidas, Labrum has dressed manager Mikel Arteta’s side for away games next season, creating a kit that pays homage, directly, deliberately and unashamedly, to the club’s players and fans shaped by the African diaspora.
Predominantly black with red and green details to mimic the Pan-African flag, Arsenal’s away kit also boasts panels with a black-and-white zigzag design, intended to represent the flow of people who emigrated from African nations in the 1920s and the art that came with them.
This is not a football kit that only Black people can wear but it is designed to tell a story, and this project, which shines a light on Arsenal’s connection to Black culture, wouldn’t have been the same if it involved another Premier League club.
Arsenal’s 2024-25 away kit and its accompanying collection (Daniel Barnes/The Athletic)
Fashion brands collaborating with recognised manufacturers to make kits is nothing new.
Juventus’ fourth strip in 2019-20 was co-produced by Palace, Daily Paper lent its style to Ajax’s 2022-23 third shirt, the Jamaica national team’s kits in 2023 were made in collaboration with Wales Bonner and last season, AC Milan released two strips designed in partnership with LA-based label Pleasures.
So what makes Labrum’s association with Arsenal stand out? For starters, this is the strip Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and company will likely wear at Old Trafford and Anfield in 2024-25.
This is no throwaway side collection to be quietly buried among a season’s worth of releases. As Arsenal’s primary away kit, it will be seen — and is designed to start a conversation about the club’s Black influences.