Bianca Saunders teams up with the Tate for Blake-inspired collection

In 1794, artist and poet William Blake wrote London, a bleak poem about the UK capital, in which he “wander[s] thro' each charter'd street, Near where the charter'd Thames does flow”. 200 years later and Londoners can now be spotted wearing Blake’s paintings on their heads, round their necks and on their chests, courtesy of Bianca Saunders. 

The south London-raised menswear designer has teamed up with the Tate to create a four-piece capsule collection, including a scarf, a hat, a jumper and a long-sleeve t-shirt, all inspired by artworks of William Blake. To be more specific, the paintings at the heart of the limited-edition collection are The Good and Evil Angels (c.1795-1805) and The Simoniac Pope (1824-7), but it’s not the first time that Blake has inspired fashion – see McQueen SS22 menswear, Ann Demeulemeester AW18 menswear or Gucci SS17. 

“When I first started the brand, I always wanted to have other creative projects, and what keeps me refreshed in my creativity is having those outlets as well,” Saunders told Dazed earlier this summer while working on another creative venture: a ‘multi-sensory’ immersive experience. Clearly, she likes to keep busy, and according to a recent interview, working with the Tate has always been an ambition of hers. The collection is available now here. 

Elsewhere in fashion this week, we revisited A$AP Rocky’s best outfits as it was announced that the rapper will receive this year’s Fashion Icon award at the CFDAs, we offered our advice on this year’s top pop culture Halloween outfits, and the industry rejoiced as Grace Wales Bonner was named the creative director of Hermès Men’s, making her the first Black woman to lead design at a major house. Here’s everything else you need to catch up on…