Jonathan Saunders: The Textile Genius

Calm, cool, and collected. These words describe Jonathan Saunders best. But it’s the last thing that you would expect from a designer that creates  elaborate fashion lines. Saunders is a renowned fashion designer, he’s been involved in fashion week in London and New York, featured in British Vogue, and his line is sold at international department stores such as Harrods and Harvey Nichols. Anywhere there is fashion, you’ll find Jonathan Saunders.

Saunders grew up in Glasglow, Scotland, where he lived with his parents who were Jehovah’s Witnesses. He lived a generally conservative lifestyle until he decided that being  a Jehovah’s Witness was not what he wanted to do. “It wasn’t because I was gay…it was because I wanted to make friends outside the religion,” he said in an interview with Yahoo! UK. He was “disfellowshipped” in 1995, when he turned 18. Not too long after, he started his, soon to be, very successful fashion journey at the Glasgow School of Arts.

While many fashion designers have had lifelong dreams of joining the fashion industry Saunders never grew up dreaming of designing, his career in fashion did not start until his college years.  His big break was just before his college graduation, Fashion Designer Alexander McQueen picked Saunders up to design prints for his line, and within a year he was doing his first runway show at London Fashion Week in 2003. He remained in London until 2008, and finally decided to make the move to New York. Coming to the states was a shock for Saunders, unlike Europe; New York is a highly individualistic society that Saunders had to get used to. “I can’t imagine anything more different from a Scottish attitude to life than a New Yorker’s attitude to life, just because it’s so much about self-promotion. It goes against the grain for me,” said Saunders in an interview with www.scotsman.com.

By now you’re probably asking: what is so special about Jonathan Saunders? His style is unlike any that you have seen on the runway, his extensive background in textiles is brought to create intrinsically beautiful designs. You can see his background show through his work. “Previously, I found that textiles within fashion were almost secondary. Maybe it was my ego, but I wanted to make them the most important thing,” said Saunders in Scotsman magazine . Textile is where he gets most of his inspiration for the design of his garments. He creates pieces that defy fashion norms, by combining strong lines, abstract designs, and bright colors, Saunders creates pieces that not only stand out but they make a statement; a statement that says: ‘I’ve learned textile design, but I’ve created art.’

Many celebrities have been seen in his pieces including but not limited to Madonna,Kylie Minogue, Sienna Miller and Michelle Obama. Every year he has been a hit at fashion week, with many desperately waiting for his new line to come out. Chairman of the British Fashion Council Harold Tillman spoke of Saunders’ return to London Fashion Week in 2010, “We are delighted that Jonathan has announced his return to London today as part of our 25 year celebrations. The excitement ahead of September continues to grow,” he said in an interview with Telegraph UK.

Saunders does more than just runway though. He has collections on sale at Bergdorf Goodman, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, and even at popular U.S. retailer, Target. He is also the creative designer for the Milan based fashion brand Pollini.

Saunders is all over the scene and I’m sure there’s more to come for this unique and creative artist. With new designs every season, we can be sure to expect something equally amazing for this upcoming season. Saunders is definitely not the fashion designer you should ignore; soon you’ll see his name everywhere.

-Stormm Van Rooi