Jonathan Saunders

Designer name: Jonathan Saunders

Origin: Glasgow, Scotland 

Design background: Saunders went from Glasgow School of Art to Central Saint Martins, graduating with an MA in Printed Textiles in 2002 that won him the Lancome Colour Award. In 2006 he was awarded the Fashion Enterprise Award at the British Fashion Awards. He received BFC Fashion Forward sponsorship for spring/summer 2007 and was shortlisted for the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund 2011. He has worked previously with Alexander McQueen, Christian Lacroix at Pucci and Pheobe Philo at Chloe, picking up invaluable lessons in “how to turn ideas into real product and the complexity of our timing schedules within the fashion industry”. Jonathan continues to consult for some of the largest and most prestigious print fashion houses in Europe.

Design signatures: “Print and colour.”

Career highlight: “My dress from spring/summer 2004 on the front cover of British Vogue.”

How would you describe your ideal client? “A woman or man who understands and wants a balance between simplicity and decoration in what they wear.”

Trademark piece: “A colourful A-line shift dress.”

Three spring/summer 2012 inspirations: “Colour, print and femininity. So no surprise there!”
 
What’s next for your brand? “We have four womenswear and two menswear collections a year – so we’ll be expanding these collections and launching accessories.”
 
Who are your design heroes? “Rei Kawakubo, Miuccia Prada, Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand.”
 
What’s your favourite cultural hotspot in the capital? “The Southbank.”
 
In five years’ time I will be… “Happy… I hope.”