Going Backstage at Bianca Saunders' Explorative Spring/Summer 2019 Presentation
Deconstructing black masculinity.
Bianca Saunders is one of the standout newcomers on the London Fashion Week: Men’s schedule and her concise SS19 presentation displayed just why she was so raved about.
London loves newness and Saunders has provided a fresh take by injecting her West-Indian heritage into her design sensibility. Having only graduated with a Masters from Royal College of Art in 2017, her latest collection — titled “Gestures” — was a continuation of her exploration into black male identity and the stereotypes surrounding a certain kind of performative hyper masculinity.
Saunders turned this on its head, showcasing a softer side to the Saunders man — the collection was focused on an imaginary person — he was someone who Saunders imagined as confident enough in his masculinity to play with it. To show this, the fit and styling used the slightest of nods to femininity while keeping the typically masculine exterior. The end result was clothes that played with preconceived notions of menswear in the most subtle of ways. Take a look through the gallery to get a closer look at the collection.
In other news, Liam Hodges looked to Las Vegas for inspiration in his latest show.
