Bianca Saunders and Farah unveil exclusive collaboration

London-based designer Bianca Saunders is collaborating with menswear brand Farah for spring/summer 2022.

The collaborative collection, ‘Uptown Top Ranking’, launching next year, celebrates Saunders Caribbean heritage while reimagining Farah’s extensive archive into modern, contemporary designs and exploring historical ‘FaraPress’ trousers.

The ‘FaraPress’ was Saunders initial source of research for the collaboration alongside focusing on male subcultures from the 1970s, and photos of her uncles, explains the designer in a press release.

Saunders also pulled from personal and musical sources, with the title of the collection inspired by the Althea and Donna 1978 track, ‘Uptown Top Ranking,’ which describes how a Jamaican man would dress himself up as he heads to the city to show off.

Bianca Saunders said in a statement: “Collaborating with Farah has allowed me to continue to explore what I love - the nuances of masculinity together with the influences of my Caribbean heritage.

“Going deep into the Farah archives and finding ways to push forward the signature cuts and silhouettes of the brand with my own transformative techniques, has been a real honour.”

Farah teams up with emerging British talent Bianca Saunders for spring/summer 2022

The press release and imagery don’t reveal too much about the collection, just that it will feature jersey separates and knitwear, as well as a reinvention of ‘FaraPress’ trousers that will pay homage to the “confident men in her life with their neatly pressed, ironed-out crease trousers who prided themselves on projecting polished dressing”.

Chris O’Brien, global head of design and concept at Farah, added: “We are really excited to collaborate with Bianca. Her exploration of male identity through style and subculture is what the Farah brand stands for.

“Celebrating her Caribbean heritage, the music of a decade that inspired so many movements with modern adaptations that still hold true to both brands, is the makings of a wonderful collaboration.”

Saunders is a graduate of London’s Royal College of Art MA programme and was recently named the 2021 ANDAM fashion award winner . Her menswear label challenges gender construction and draws heavily on her Black Caribbean roots and growing up in London by exploring garment transformations to reflect the wearer’s subculture.