Menswear designer Bianca Saunders has won the “New Establishment Menswear Designer” at the 2023 British Fashion Awards. Hosted in London at the Royal Albert Hall, an assortment of celebrities are currently in attendance at the prestigious gathering.
Earlier this year, Saunders created a custom look for Usher for the Met Gala which turned heads and further solidified the singer’s fashion icon status. Saunders, a British Jamaican designer often injects aspects of her heritage into her design process. She’s also skilled at adding her unique take on masculinity, with clean lines that are out of the ordinary. She keeps us on our toes, going from selling T-shirts to fully fleshed collections with exquisite tailoring, this award was well-deserved.
Saunders garnered widespread recognition in 2017 after debuting her first collection at London Fashion Week post-graduation from the Royal College of Art. In 2021, she won the ANDAM Fashion Award in Paris receiving $300,000 and a mentorship with the Balenciaga CEO and President Cédric Charbit. Previously in 2019, she won the H&M Design Award.
Black women in menswear are a rare sight but Saunders winning this award shows that there is space for us in that world. Her impact within the design world is creating a more inclusive space. Additionally, her ability to have such a technical eye and be a storyteller at the same time is a special gift. She’s also able to stay commercially relevant in an industry that is often described as fast-paced. Saunders is pushing boundaries when it comes to gender expression and what is deemed how men should dress–this isn’t a small feat.
Other Black winners of the night were designer Martine Rose for “British Menswear Designer,” Paloma Elsesser for “Model of the Year,” and photographer Campbell Addy for the “Isabella Blow Award For Fashion Creator.” Actress Michaela Coel also won the “Pandora Leader of Change,” and editor Edward Enninful won the “Trailblazer” Award.
