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Bianca Saunders

From The Fashion Codex
Bianca Saunders
Born 1993, London, England
Died
Alma mater Royal College of Art
Years Active 2017-present
Occupation Fashion designer
Website https://biancasaunders.com/


Bianca Saunders (born April 26, 1993) is a Jamaican-British fashion designer born in London, England. She's the owner and founder of her namesake label Bianca Saunders. Her fashion-forward tailoring and cross-cultural references have earned her critical acclaim from fashion tastemakers.[1] She has Marc Jacobs and Jonathan Anderson as two of her inspirations.[2]

Early Life

1990s & 2000s

Bianca Saunders was born in 1993, born and raised in Catford, south London, alongside her five siblings. Located in the London borough of Lewisham, Catford was so far south that it didn’t feel to Saunders like growing up in the city.[3] Saunders grew up with parents who encouraged her artistic side. Her mother a hairdresser and her father a plasterer, they both highly encouraged her to pursue her dreams.[4] She initially wanted to become an artist, but her uncle had told her that artists only make money when they die, which discouraged her.[5]

She spent plenty of time at her cousin's place and "closet-raiding" her grandmother.[6]

That led to Saunders pursuing a career within fashion. With her creativity being obvious from an early age, her obsession with arts and craft, was enough proof that she would eventually pursue a career in a creative field.[7] She dabbled in fashion, art and graphic design, with aforementioned uncle also being a graphic designer.[8]

2010s

She left school in her late teenage years, and got herself a place on the foundation course at Ravensbourne. After settling on pursuing a career in fashion, she headed to Kingston University to complete her BA in Fashion Design.[9]

During her three years here, she won a £1,000 cash prize in a competition held by French lacemaker Sophie Hallette. University Design Challenge was held on June 3 2015, with 22 students battling it out for the prize. Each student was tasked with creating garments from lace and tulle, with Saunders taking inspiration from the integration of the West Indies into Britain.[10] At Kingston, Saunders learnt the techniques she needed to execute her creative vision, where she studied pattern cutting, styling, and tailoring.[11]

After getting her Bachelor's degree, Saunders got accepted into the Royal College of Art, knowing that she could not afford it. She set up a funding page to help her pay for the tuition, which was heavily backed and supported by her community at home.[12]

She already knew that she wanted to start her own brand whilst starting on her Master's degree. When she asked her tutors for advice, they all said it would be very difficult. But she was adamant to pursue her goal: “But I think I had something important to say, and then people started to be interested in what I was doing.” she said.[13]

Whilst studying to become a designer in 2016 she mentioned that masculinity was already a prominent topic, and she realised it was more nuanced than how her male friends liked to be described: “Sometimes, it exhibits a feminine edge, evident in body language that encapsulates a cause. I aim to convey this interesting dynamic through my collections.” Which is the way she encapsulates her design language when it comes to her menswear designs.[14]

In 2017 she graduated with her debut collection titled 'Personal Politics' which featured mesh vests and cinched, belted waists, contrasted with sharp tailoring.[15]

Career

2010s

Saunders was heavily inspired by her family, which can be seen in her collections. The admiration for the men within her family had a huge impact on her overall aesthetic and her interest in Black masculinity. One of her earliest collections, created while completing her BA, was based on the men in her family who were part of a funk-band.[16] Visiting relatives across the Atlantic sparked her interest in travelling, which led her to discover old VHS recordings of her family in Jamaica at dancehall parties, which has been a key inspiration in her collections since.[17]

In 2017 Saunders launched her own brand online, with her father being a business manager and her mother being a hairdresser, Saunders was blessed with having people around her who would teach her how to deal with customers.[18]

Her debut collection was called 'Personal Politics', with the collection focusing on edgy designs with gender-bending garments, which redefined masculinity.[19]

In 2018 she was selected as ‘One To Watch’ by the British Fashion Council and she was also announced as one of the Dazed 100.

Bianca Saunders’ career has spanned towards film direction, curation and more. In May 2018, she was commissioned to curate a live window display for Gareth Pugh at Selfridges London. In October 2019,  Bianca Saunders curated a group exhibition, titled "Nearness".[20]

2020s

Saunders secured a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for 2020.[21] In 2021 she was shortlisted for the LVMH Prize and she won the Andam Grand Prix Fashion Award, becoming the first black woman to win that prize.[22] Winning it also meant she got mentored for a year by Balenciaga CEO Cédric Charbit.[23] Former Gucci creative director, Alessandro Michele, selected her as one of the designers to create a unique piece of work for the brand's 2020 GucciFest, which would be sold on the Gucci Vault. She collaborated with filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr on a short titled The Pedestrian.[24][25]

Bianca Saunders enthusiastically accepted Istituto Marangoni London’s request to become their mentor for the 2023/24 academic year.[26]

Saunders won the winner of the 10th annual BFC/GQ Designer Fashion Fund from a shortlist of four in June 2024, claiming a cash prize of £100,000.[27]

Style

Techniques

Saunders creates clothes that explore, interrogate and celebrate masculinity, glamour, sex, and heritage. Seams are twisted and rushed, hems are split; details are cleverly concealed – or dialled up to 11. Waists are tucked and shoulders are dramatically accentuated, padded and trucked.[28]

Themes

Saunders' is heavily inspired by her Jamaican-British heritage, infusing cross-cultural details in her work.[29]

Collections

Her graduation collection, Personal Politics was made for FW18.

Bianca Saunders
Title Season Date Location Looks Notes
Personal Politics FW18 London, United Kingdom Debut collection at London Fashion Week
Gestures SS19 'Gestures' combines masculine and feminine elements in familiar fabrics, reflecting a sense of intimacy in its designs.
Unravelling AW19 The collection's set design replicates a bedroom ambiance, using everyday items to evoke a sense of home comfort.
Character SS20
Videolight AW20
The Ideal Man SS21
The Pedestrian Pre-Fall 21
Superimposed AW21
Henchman SS22
A Stretch FW22 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France Covid restrictions only allowed 60 people in attendance due to Paris regulations.
Hard Food SS23
Playwork AW23
Scratch SS24
Nothing Personal AW24
The Hotel SS25
Dichotomy AW25

References

  1. ↑ https://www.istitutomarangoni.com/en/maze35/game-changers/bianca-saunders-from-my-studio-bedroom-to-the-met-gala#:~:text=Bianca%20Saunders%2C%20whose%20fashion%2Dforward%20tailoring%20and%20cross%2Dcultural%20references%20have%20earned%20her%20critical%20acclaim%20from%20fashion%20tastemakers.%C2%A0
  2. ↑ https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fashion/article/bianca-saunders-interview-2022#:~:text=Which%20designers%20does,a%20good%20designer.%E2%80%9D
  3. ↑ https://www.thestack.world/news/culture/london/bianca-saunders-becomes-first-black-british-designer-to-win-andam-fashion-award-1625739698174#:~:text=Bianca%20Saunders%20was%20a%20baby%20of%20the%20early%20%E2%80%9990s%2C%20born%20and%20raised%20in%20Catford%2C%20south%20London%2C%20alongside%20her%20five%20siblings.%20Located%20in%20the%20London%20borough%20of%20Lewisham%2C%20Catford%20was%20so%20far%20south%20that%20it%20didn%E2%80%99t%20feel%20to%20Saunders%20like%20growing%20up%20in%20the%20city.
  4. ↑ https://www.thestack.world/news/culture/london/bianca-saunders-becomes-first-black-british-designer-to-win-andam-fashion-award-1625739698174#:~:text=Saunders%20grew%20up%20with%20parents%20who%20encouraged%20her%20artistic%20side.%20Her%20mother%20a%20hairdresser%20and%20her%20father%20a%20plasterer%2C%20they%20urged%20her%20to%20follow%20her%20dreams%20rather%20than%20bow%20down%20to%20any%20sort%20of%20norm
  5. ↑ https://www.thestack.world/news/culture/london/bianca-saunders-becomes-first-black-british-designer-to-win-andam-fashion-award-1625739698174#:~:text=Before%20she%20discovered%20fashion%2C%20Saunders%20had%20wanted%20to%20be%20an%20artist%20but%20was%20soon%20discouraged%20by%20an%20uncle%20who%20told%20her%20artists%20only%20make%20money%20when%20they%20die.
  6. ↑ https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fashion/article/bianca-saunders-interview-2022#:~:text=%E2%80%9CI%20was%20always%20around%20cousins%E2%80%99%20houses%2C%20closet%2Draiding%20things%20from%20my%20grandma%2C%E2%80%9D
  7. ↑ https://www.thestack.world/news/culture/london/bianca-saunders-becomes-first-black-british-designer-to-win-andam-fashion-award-1625739698174#:~:text=Her%20creativity%20was%20obvious%20from%20an%20early%20age%2C%20her%20obsession%20with%20arts%20and%20crafts%20was%20proof%20enough%20that%20she%20was%20set%20to%20be%20the%20creator%20of%20something%2C%20though%20she%20often%20danced%20between%20art%2C%20fashion%20and%20graphic%20design%20(a%20possibility%20she%20still%20toys%20with%20today).
  8. ↑ https://www.thestack.world/news/culture/london/bianca-saunders-becomes-first-black-british-designer-to-win-andam-fashion-award-1625739698174#:~:text=though%20she%20often,creative%20graphic%20designer.
  9. ↑ https://www.thestack.world/news/culture/london/bianca-saunders-becomes-first-black-british-designer-to-win-andam-fashion-award-1625739698174#:~:text=For%20any%20young,in%20Fashion%20Design.
  10. ↑ https://www.thestack.world/news/culture/london/bianca-saunders-becomes-first-black-british-designer-to-win-andam-fashion-award-1625739698174#:~:text=During%20her%20three,Indies%20into%20Britain.
  11. ↑ https://www.thestack.world/news/culture/london/bianca-saunders-becomes-first-black-british-designer-to-win-andam-fashion-award-1625739698174#:~:text=At%20Kingston%2C%20Saunders%20learnt%20the%20techniques%20she%20needed%20to%20execute%20her%20creative%20visions.%20She%20studied%20pattern%20cutting%2C%20styling%2C%20and%20tailoring%2C%20which%20would%20eventually%20become%20the%20core%20of%20all%20her%20collections%20to%20follow.
  12. ↑ https://www.thestack.world/news/culture/london/bianca-saunders-becomes-first-black-british-designer-to-win-andam-fashion-award-1625739698174#:~:text=As%20a%20result%2C%20she%20set%20up%20a%20funding%20page%20to%20help%20her%20pay%20for%20the%20tuition%2C%20which%20was%20heavily%20backed%20and%20supported%20by%20her%20community%20at%20home.
  13. ↑ https://www.istitutomarangoni.com/en/maze35/game-changers/bianca-saunders-from-my-studio-bedroom-to-the-met-gala#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWhen%20I%20started,I%20was%20doing.%E2%80%9D
  14. ↑ https://www.istitutomarangoni.com/en/maze35/game-changers/bianca-saunders-from-my-studio-bedroom-to-the-met-gala#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIn%202016%2C%20%5Bwhen,through%20my%20collections.%E2%80%9D
  15. ↑ https://www.thestack.world/news/culture/london/bianca-saunders-becomes-first-black-british-designer-to-win-andam-fashion-award-1625739698174#:~:text=In%20June%202017%2C%20Bianca%20Saunders%20graduated%20from%20the%20RCA%20with%20a%20collection%20titled%20%E2%80%98Personal%20Politics%E2%80%99%20that%20played%20with%20masculinity%20through%20its%20soft%20ruching%2C%20mesh%20vests%20and%20cinched%2C%20belted%20waists%2C%20contrasted%20with%20sharp%20tailoring.
  16. ↑ https://www.thestack.world/news/culture/london/bianca-saunders-becomes-first-black-british-designer-to-win-andam-fashion-award-1625739698174#:~:text=Saunders%E2%80%99%20admiration%20for%20the%20men%20in%20her%20family%20has%20had%20a%20huge%20impact%20on%20her%20overall%20aesthetic%20and%20her%20interest%20in%20Black%20masculinity.%20One%20of%20her%20earliest%20collections%2C%20created%20while%20completing%20her%20BA%2C%20was%20based%20on%20the%20men%20in%20her%20family%20who%20were%20part%20of%20a%20funk%2Dband.
  17. ↑ https://www.thestack.world/news/culture/london/bianca-saunders-becomes-first-black-british-designer-to-win-andam-fashion-award-1625739698174#:~:text=Visiting%20family%20across%20the%20Atlantic%20sparked%20Saunders%E2%80%99%20wishes%20to%20travel%2C%20yet%20also%20led%20her%20to%20discover%20old%20VHS%20recordings%20of%20her%20family%20in%20Jamaica%20at%20dancehall%20parties%20%E2%80%93%20a%20key%20inspiration%20that%20has%20appeared%20in%20her%20collections%20since.
  18. ↑ https://www.istitutomarangoni.com/en/maze35/game-changers/bianca-saunders-from-my-studio-bedroom-to-the-met-gala#:~:text=In%202017%2C%20she,deal%20with%20customers.%E2%80%9D
  19. ↑ https://www.istitutomarangoni.com/en/maze35/game-changers/bianca-saunders-from-my-studio-bedroom-to-the-met-gala#:~:text=Bianca%20Saunders%20made%20a%20significant%20impact%20with%20her%20debut%20menswear%20FW18%20collection%2C%20titled%20%E2%80%98Personal%20Politics%E2%80%99.%20The%20collection%20was%20edgy%20and%20gender%2Dbending%2C%20redefining%20masculinity.%C2%A0
  20. ↑ https://londonfashionweek.co.uk/designers/bianca-saunders#:~:text=Bianca%20Saunders%E2%80%99%20career%20has%20spanned%20towards%20film%20direction%2C%20curation%20and%20more.%20In%20May%202018%2C%20she%20was%20commissioned%20to%20curate%20a%20live%20window%20display%20for%20Gareth%20Pugh%20at%20Selfridges%20London.%20In%20October%202019%2C%C2%A0%20Bianca%20Saunders%20curated%20a%20group%20exhibition%2C%20titled%20%22Nearness%22
  21. ↑ https://www.istitutomarangoni.com/en/maze35/game-changers/bianca-saunders-from-my-studio-bedroom-to-the-met-gala#:~:text=%3B%20she%20was%20announced%20as%20one%20of%20the%20Dazed%20100%2C%20a%20yearly%20list%20of%20creatives%20pushing%20the%20conversation%20forward%3B%20additionally%2C%20she%20secured%20a%20spot%20on%20Forbes%E2%80%99%2030%20Under%2030%20list%20for%202020.
  22. ↑ https://www.istitutomarangoni.com/en/maze35/game-changers/bianca-saunders-from-my-studio-bedroom-to-the-met-gala#:~:text=Those%20days%20must%20have%20been%20productive%2C%20as%20Bianca%20Saunders%20was%20shortlisted%20for%20the%20LVMH%20Prize%20and%20took%20home%20the%20Andam%20Grand%20Prix%20Fashion%20Award%20in%202021%2C%20becoming%20the%20first%20black%20woman%20to%20win%20that%20prize
  23. ↑ https://www.istitutomarangoni.com/en/maze35/game-changers/bianca-saunders-from-my-studio-bedroom-to-the-met-gala#:~:text=while%20having%20the%20opportunity%20for%20a%20year%20of%20coaching%20from%20Balenciaga%20CEO%20C%C3%A9dric%20Charbit.
  24. ↑ https://www.istitutomarangoni.com/en/maze35/game-changers/bianca-saunders-from-my-studio-bedroom-to-the-met-gala#:~:text=In%20the%20same%20year%2C%20former%20Gucci%20creative%20director%20Alessandro%20Michele%20selected%20her%20to%20be%20one%20of%20the%20new%20designers%20whose%20collections%20will%20be%20sold%20on%20Gucci%20Vault.
  25. ↑ https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fashion/article/bianca-saunders-interview-2022#:~:text=Gucci%E2%80%99s%20Alessandro,flipped%20the%20script.
  26. ↑ https://www.istitutomarangoni.com/en/maze35/game-changers/bianca-saunders-from-my-studio-bedroom-to-the-met-gala#:~:text=Bianca%20Saunders%20enthusiastically%20accepted%20Istituto%20Marangoni%20London%E2%80%99s%20request%20to%20become%20their%20mentor%20for%20the%202023/24%20academic%20year.
  27. ↑ https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/bianca-saunders-bfc-gq-fashion-fund-interview-2024#:~:text=In%20June%2C%20Saunders,to%20deal%20with).
  28. ↑ https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fashion/article/bianca-saunders-interview-2022#:~:text=She%20creates%20clothes%20that%20explore%2C%20interrogate%20and%20celebrate%20masculinity%2C%20glamour%2C%20sex%2C%20and%20heritage.%20Seams%20are%20twisted%20and%20rushed%2C%20hems%20are%20split%3B%20details%20are%20cleverly%20concealed%20%E2%80%93%20or%20dialled%20up%20to%2011.%20Waists%20are%20tucked%20and%20shoulders%20are%20dramatically%20accentuated%2C%20padded%20and%20trucked.
  29. ↑ https://www.istitutomarangoni.com/en/maze35/game-changers/bianca-saunders-from-my-studio-bedroom-to-the-met-gala#:~:text=Inspired%20by%20her%20Jamaican%2DBritish%20heritage%2C%20Saunders%20employs%20a%20multidisciplinary%20approach%2C%20infusing%20cross%2Dcultural%20details%20into%20her%20work.

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