What does it mean to build a creative practice rooted in where you’re from while shaping where
you are? In this conversation, Foday Dumbuya (LABRUM London) and Yinka Ilori explore how
their West African heritage and immigrant upbringings have become the foundation of their design
languages. From storytelling through textiles and furniture to public installations and global
collaborations, both designers reflect on how culture travels through memory, material, and
community.
Over the past five years, they’ve each built great support networks across London and beyond not
just as individuals, but as part of a wider diaspora ecosystem.
This talk unpacks identity, collaboration, and the responsibility of representation asking how
designers/Artist can create work that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.
Because none of us arrived here alone