FAMBUL means “family” in Krio, the widely spoken lingua franca of Sierra Leone. Krio developed in Freetown in the late 18th and 19th centuries among freed Africans who resettled there, including the Black Loyalists from Nova Scotia, the Jamaican Maroons, and Liberated Africans rescued from intercepted slave ships. Though they came from different regions, ethnic groups, and linguistic backgrounds, Krio became the common language that united them.

Rooted primarily in English, Krio was shaped by West African languages such as Yoruba and Igbo from present-day Nigeria and Akan from Ghana. It was also influenced by Portuguese and French through centuries of trade and contact along the West African coast. While Krio shares similarities with West African Pidgin spoken in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon, as well as Jamaican Patois in the Caribbean, it is a fully developed language with its own grammar, structure, and identity.

More than a means of communication, Krio represents resilience, unity, and cultural continuity. The word FAMBUL reflects that legacy — a reminder that family, heritage, and connection remain at the heart of who we are.

We seek to tell the story of Sierra Leone and its lasting impact on Africa and the wider world, using design and fashion as a vehicle to express heritage, pride, and global influence