Bianca Saunders Taps Farah for an SS24 Collection Inspired by Jamaican Artist Lee "Scratch" Perry

For Spring/Summer 2024, London designer Bianca Saunders reunited with century-old label Farah for a menswear collection inspired by the world of Jamaican musician and producer Lee “Scratch” Perry.

“Perry was a Jamaican producer and music artist, but he also did artwork, and a lot of his work is based around collages and found objects, and him exploring how to place these objects in a way that makes sense to him,” said Saunders. ”There is a Basquiat approach to his work, but it’s different, being steeped in religion and Jamaican iconography, animal motifs and mottos such as ‘good over evil’.”

In her second team-up with Farah, Saunders dipped into the legacy workwear label’s archives to uncover a series of casual wares dating back to the ’70s and ’80s, when Scratch had released several popular tracks, including “People Funny Boy” and “Dreadlocks in Moonlight.” Infusing her own boundary-pushing menswear design codes into Farah’s decades-old silhouettes, Saunders looked to reenvision traditional men’s style archetypes to fit a modern-day wardrobe, while still keeping the emphasis on casual, in a range, aptly titled “Scratch.”

Across the 26-piece collection, Saunders enlists Farah’s signature hopsack textile (which appears like denim but actually boasts a much lighter-weight construction) to form laid-back button-up shirts and trousers in neutral tones. Wide-leg trousers in aqua blue and nutmeg, meanwhile, don elastic waistbands, and oversized vests employ asymmetrical cuts on the chest. Overall, the collection is oversized and comfortable, forming what the brand calls “slouchy style.”

“[Bianca] manages to blend a concept that is close to her and her brand along with references from Farah’s rich archive, utilizing our hopsack fabrication which is synonymous with our history,” said Chris O’Brien, global head of design at Farah. “We believe in Bianca’s vision and wish to continue to work with her on these highly creative projects.”

See Bianca Saunders and Farah’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection, “Scratch,” in the gallery above.

Elsewhere, take a look at Louis Gabriel Nouchi’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection.