On a sweltering summer evening in Shoreditch, beneath the warm glow of industrial lights and drapes of burlap, designer Bianca Saunders inaugurated her latest pop-up.
The air pulsed with the hum of the city and the soft rustling of her clothes on racks – an immersive, tactile experience that allowed visitors to engage with her spring/summer 2025 collection in the flesh. Saunders, radiant and poised, was ready to guide guests through her world.
A graduate of Kingston University and the Royal College of Art, Bianca Saunders first gained acclaim for her thoughtful approach to menswear, intertwining sharp tailoring with a fluid exploration of masculinity. Her designs often challenge binary conventions, drawing inspiration from personal narratives, cultural heritage, and materials infused with memory.
Her latest collection, aptly titled The Hotel, builds on this ethos. It is a poetic dialogue between place and identity that’s rooted in the nostalgia of her mother’s visits to Jamaica, and the enduring familiarity those moments evoke.
Weathered textures, tropical motifs, and tailored softness evoke the languid atmosphere of seaside retreats and memory-laden journeys. This pop-up, realised in collaboration with Puma and celebrating themes central to Jamaican independence and the brand’s H Street campaign, lets visitors step directly into Saunders’s layered narrative.
Recognised globally for her elegant interrogation of tradition, where a twist of seam or a bold print speaks louder than words, Saunders continues to redefine fashion’s boundaries.
As industry critics hail her as one of London’s most compelling voices of her generation, this latest venture marks both a personal and creative milestone: a chance to weave story, style, and heritage into a lived experience.
I grabbed ten minutes with her to find out a few of her favourite things.
What have you been up to recently?
"We’ve been planning this pop-up for about three months now, and of course, we have been so excited to work with Puma. I wanted to do something around Jamaican Independence and they’re also launching their H Street campaign. It’s a previous shoe they had, track runners that Usain Bolt used to wear.
I wanted to bring the Spring/Summer 25 collection, which is currently selling on the website, into real life, to create a real-life experience. We’ve been creating events for the past year, but this is immersive: a space that tells more of the brand’s story. It gives people a chance to feel the clothes in person, especially since most of our retail is online. It’s nice to host in Shoreditch and have that footfall."
What inspired your latest collection?
"So the collection is called The Hotel, and it’s based around tourism. The zine ties into this – my mum’s experience of going to Jamaica when she was younger, and our revisiting of it. It’s a place that hasn’t really changed, yet still feels familiar. That point of familiarity is central to my brand’s ethos: making things feel comforting yet new. That’s what brings it all together."
How do you incorporate feminine styles into masculine and vice versa?
"It all merges into one. I wear a lot of my own designs. I’ve grown a lot of pieces that show femininity within masculinity and vice versa."
What unexpected tailoring element do you swear by?
"It’s always twisted seams. I love them. I was exploring it during my studies, and it’s been a constant throughout."
What are your summer fashion essentials?
"Denim, for sure. I always wear these striped denim jeans, a light crinkle top, because you don’t want to have to keep pressing things. That’s my go-to."
Bold prints or crazy silhouettes?
Aside from Puma, what’s your dream collab?
"Gosh, I think this is it! This collaboration with Puma, in line with Jamaican Independence Day, is a dream.”
A lot of your designs are inspired by food, drink and florals. What are your favourites?
"My favourite flower is hibiscus. Favourite food? Fritters for sure. And a favourite cocktail would be elderflower and gin."
What were your student essentials?
"Definitely a good, sharp pencil."
What does home mean to you?
"Familiarity and comfort—that’s what home means to me."
Shop Puma’s H Street collection here
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