30 seconds with designer Bianca Saunders
The designer makes club-ready clothes, dons men in mesh and studied at the fancy Royal College of Art. Now she’s listed as one of Forbes’ annual 30 Under 30. Naturally, we got on the phone to send our congrats.
Style
Words: TJ Sidhu
Photography: Ronan McKenzie
Bianca Saunders. A 26-year-old menswear designer from south London. She studied Fashion Design at Kingston University, then an MA at the fancy Royal Academy of Art. Ooh ahh.
She makes clothes for you to dance in, but she’s rarely at the party. A proper grafter, Saunders has been on a one woman mission, seeing out four seasons at London Fashion Week, tirelessly cuttin’, sewin’, and stitchin’ in her Brixton Studio. With the help of a few merry interns for good measure.
But, as the saying goes: today’s tears water tomorrow’s gardens. She’s been included in this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list – a definitive guide to 300 young visionaries redefining ten industries across 32 European countries, from the arts and science, to technology and sport.
That’s no mean feat. So naturally we couldn’t resist a very quick celebratory phone call with her…
Hi Bianca! Congratulations on making it onto the fifth Forbes 30 under 30 list.
Thank you!
How did your nearest and dearest take the news?
They were so excited. My mum and siblings have been posting it all over Instagram. I screamed when I found out.
So are you celebrating… in isolation?
Well, I had to leave my house to go to the factory. I haven’t really been able to do the whole isolation thing properly. I don’t have any employees apart from one person, and I have interns. If I don’t do anything, there’s no business.
Are the empty supermarket shelves concerning you?
Yes! I need to buy supplies for the studio and there’s no toilet roll anywhere, so I’ve been on a mission to find toilet paper. I haven’t done any stocking up, but I live at home so it’s a bit different.
Being on the list is a huge deal. Do you reckon now it could open up the possibilities of making, say, AirPod cases or other nik naks?
I’m hoping this will bring a collaboration to my brand. I’d like to branch out with more accessories than last season, making my own shoes. That’s my aim.
Finally, are your clothes made for any type of dance move?
Definitely not the splits – more a casual dance.
What about the worm?
100 per cent, that would definitely work.
Thanks Bianca, take care.
Thank you, bye!
