Bianca Saunders – London Fashion Week AW21

Bianca Saunders’ AW21 collection “Super Imposed” is presented in a super short but remarkable film directed by Daniel Sannwald and inspired by inspired by Jean Cocteau’s ‘Blood of a Poet’ avant-garde film (1930).

The collection looks at positive and negative spaces, always pushing forwards the signature cuts and silhouettes of the brand. As the designer says, “​for me, it’s all about the shoulder”​. That’s clear on a tuxedo jacket with a sleek, unstructured take on Saunders’s sunken-in shoulder, with the sleeve head almost appearing as if it’s a gilet on top. Lapels are purposefully wide, while pockets have been set high to emphasise the waisted silhouette.

The shoulder appears in many forms, with many different effects. A black cotton workwear shirt has an A-line shape, thanks to side pleats that fall from the sunken-in shoulder. Large welt pockets hidden in the side pleat only push the A-line shape forwards; from the front, the shirt is sleek and reduced in detail, fastened with snaps.

To create a bomber jacket, Saunders moves the vent back to the shoulder blade, allowing the cut to be oversized at the front and shorter at the back.

Prints have been made from photographs of crinkled or creased garments, following on from the pieces she showed at the exhibition ​Drawing a Blank​ in Paris last autumn. Strong, rich hues of blue and red constitute a beautiful palette combined with black and beige.

“​I like to take a multidisciplinary approach to my work, with art and filmmaking as part of my practice. This collection started from sculptures I exhibited in Paris last autumn, and has drawn inspiration from the multidisciplinary artist Jean Cocteau​” says ​Bianca Saunders​.