English FA assigns the design of 2024 FA Cup trophy to a Nigerian

The English Football Association has decided to give the design of the 2024 FA Cup to a Nigerian-born artist, Olaolu Slawn.

The artist and designer confirmed the news on the official X account of SHFL (@whatsonshuffle) on Thursday, May 9, 2024. The final game will be played between Manchester City and Manchester United on Saturday, May 25, 2024 at Wembley Stadium.

The last time Olaolu designed a major trophy was the Brit Award trophy in 2023. However here are five things you need to know about the Nigerian-born London-based artist.

Who is Olaolu Slawn?

(1) Slawn is the first Nigerian-born, the youngest artist, to design the BRITs award.

(2) Slawn is a self-proclaimed ‘scam artist’ who made a name for himself designing skate wears in Lagos, Nigeria with high-profile fashion fans such as Virgil Abloh. He is a contemporary painter, skateboarder, and artist in the UK.

(3) Slawn hosted his debut exhibition at Brick Lane’s Truman Brewery in 2021 which caused a stir in the art scene.

(4) Slawn has his fashion brand, Motherlan, with fellow skaters and friends, Leo and Onyedi, which has become known for its bold graphics, animated characters, and slogans such as “join the cult”.

(5) Slawn’s work is a vivid blend of cartoon characters and psychedelic shapes painted onto large-scale canvases using marker pens and aerosol cans.

This is not the first time that the trophy will be redesigned, the last design was introduced in 2014 and this new one could be used by the organisers for many FA Cup finals to come.