We Didn’t Come Alone

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