London Fashion Week: Saunders unveils summer look

A Jonathan Saunders creation. Picture: Getty

This time Saunders built on his signature style of vibrant colours, graphic prints, and A-line skirts which have won him a legion of high-profile fans including Michelle Obama, Sienna Miller and Thandie Newton.

In one of the highlights of the fashion calendar, the heritage luxury brand Mulberry lit up London Fashion Week, giving a nod to traditional “Britishness” in its new spring showcase, with hints of 1960s London and English roses.

Other designers who also showcased on Sunday included the queen of punk and grande dame of fashion Vivienne Westwood, Preen, and Temperley London.

But ever since Saunders emerged as one of Britain’s exciting young talents, there has been a buzz around his latest collections.

Born in Rutherglen, the son of two ministers, Saunders graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1999 with a BA in printed textiles before moving to London to study at Central Saint Martins.

His graduate show, a series of chiffon kaftans, was a sensation and within two days he had been commissioned by Alexander McQueen to produce a bird-of-paradise print.

The result, for McQueen’s spring/summer 2003 collection, became one of the year’s most photographed looks.

A few months later, Saunders had one of his own designs on the cover of Vogue.

Since then he has gone from strength to strength, working on his own burgeoning collection, now showcased at such prestigious stores as Harrods and Harvey Nichols in London, and Neiman Marcus throughout the US.

Traditionally, London Fashion Week, which finishes tomorrow, has been seen as the preserve of the rich and famous followers of the fashionable.

However, this year, organisers have welcomed ordinary shoppers into parts of London’s most exclusive fashion event to try to raise Britain’s profile as a fashion destination.

The move is part of the British Fashion Council’s plan to change the way the fashion industry, often seen as mysterious and elitist, is viewed – with the hope of increasing the estimated 816,000 jobs in the sector.

“This season we have taken fashion week to the streets of London and rallied support from the whole capital by making London Fashion Week much more inclusive,” council chairwoman Natalie Massenet said.