Bianca Saunders’ Caribbean Portrait

For Spring-Summer 2025, Bianca Saunders wanted to conjure the thrilling feeling of destination travel. She recalled a Jamaican resort in the 1940s. The British designer was inspired by photographer Bradley Smith’s stylised depictions of the hotel’s employees. Of course, with her signature flourishes, she scrutinised uniform dressing by twisting seams in trousers, slimming tailored silhouettes, and playing with texture and print to challenge conventional outfits. Other references to the Caribbean island include a sequin twinset that resembles the unpolluted, shimmering night sky; a bold screenprint of fresh fruit recalling the subtle luxuries of high-end accommodation;  and kitschy totes inspired by gift shop finds.

Since her debut in 2017, Saunders has studied contemporary masculinity, using tailoring to investigate its parameters. She creates a sense of timelessness around her garments by breaking down expectations. She infuses garments with subtle, amusing twists that toy with one’s perception of familiarity. This season, she continues to develop hallmarks of her label – denim, tailoring, and draping – while introducing a more robust assortment of accessories with small bags and shoes. As the list of honours for her brands grows – most recently, she was recently the recipient of the Vogue/GQ Designer Fashion Fund – Saunders is ready to take her label to the next stage. “It’s exactly what I wanted it to be”, said the British designer, on a call from her London studio. 

What would you like us to know about this collection?

I haven’t been to Jamaica since 2017, so I wanted to revisit the things that make you feel like a tourist. I was researching Martin Parr when I came across an American photographer, Bradley Smith, who photographed these images of workers at a Jamaican resort in the 1940s. I was interested in how stylised the images were so I used some of the outfits for inspiration. There’s always a play with familiarity and a hint of amusement that comes through in my work, so I kept that as a thread throughout the collection.

How important is research to you when designing a collection? 

Research is very important in my work. It’s something that never stops. Sometimes, I might come across something I like from two seasons ago that I would like to incorporate into a new season. This season, I wasn’t going to do anything new and have small changes, but we ended up doing quite a lot of new developments when I came across certain things.

What learnings did you take from your first show in Paris to this season?

Paris has given me high expectations in terms of how I want the brand to be introduced. I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure that everything is executed well and every season looks like it’s been a constant improvement. As a menswear brand showing alongside other menswear designers, it strengthens how the brand is seen. It’s a big moment for a London-based brand to get to show in other countries, and to do a show, in general, is a big blessing. We want to put our best foot forward and make sure people know it’s a show worth seeing. 

What is next for your label?  

Every year is different for us; it always feels like a massive refresh. But every time people want to wear something different, the brand sits within that because it’s not trend-based. It has a timeless quality that people can connect to. We want to interact more with our customers, so we have some physical events planned for the rest of this year. I don’t want to say exactly what some things will look like, but it will be outside of just being clothes.

This interview has been lightly edited.