IN CONVERSATION WITH JONATHAN SAUNDERS
interview by FRANCESCO PIZZUTI
Scottish designer Jonathan Saunders has long been celebrated for his use of color, texture, and prints, shaping a career that gained global fashion influence. Now, as creative director of & Other Stories, he enters a new chapter with the Spring 2026 collection — the first one to fully have his stamp on. Rooted in the energy of new wave youth culture and a sense of lived-in authenticity, the collection reimagines everyday dressing through bold contrasts, expressive silhouettes, and emotional resonance as Saunders continues to redefine modern style as individual and quietly radical.
all images courtesy of & OTHER STORIES
This is the first & Other Stories collection fully designed under your direction. What felt most important to establish from the start, and what surprised you the most in the process?
From the very beginning, & Other Stories captured something real: a desire for fashion that feels expressive and individual, pieces with personality that still fit into everyday life. That really resonated with me. I’m a working-class person from Scotland, and that sense of accessibility matters. One of the reasons I took this role was because I genuinely believe in a brand at this positioning, one that values expression, quality, and craft without alienation. I saw enormous potential here.
The collection draws on the energy of the 80s and 90s new wave culture. What about that era still resonates with you today?
What stays with me is the sense of self-invention - fashion was used to define emotions and a state of mind - expressive, fearless, completely unconcerned with convention.
It was also the era when youth culture magazines began rewriting fashion’s visual language. Dazed and i-D captured youth culture, creativity, and individuality in a way that felt revolutionary, and when Numéro arrived in the late 90s, Élisabeth Djian added a new level of sharpness and artistic clarity. Those titles shaped how my generation understood style: as something honest, emotional, and unfiltered. That attitude never fades and still feels deeply relevant today. At & Other Stories, I’m translating the spirit of that era; the courage, individuality, the emotional charge into clothes designed for modern life.
Fashion loves nostalgia, but nostalgia can easily become costume. Where do you draw the line?
For me, it’s about translating the attitudes of nostalgic fashion, I’m interested in reinventing what they represented — I take the spirit — the sharpness of tailoring, the clash of texture, the charisma, and apply it with modern cuts, quality fabrics, and considered construction. That’s how nostalgia becomes relevance.
Proportion also seems central to this collection, especially the strong shoulders and voluminous silhouettes. What role does silhouette play in expressing a mood or attitude?
Silhouette is what gives a look its attitude before anything else — before colour or print. It’s a language. For Spring 2026, I wanted silhouettes with impact but that are wearable for everyday.
The campaign evokes intimacy, friends together in an apartment, slightly chaotic, a sense of authenticity. Why was that atmosphere important for telling the story of this collection?
That was exactly the intention. Friends together — connection, friendship, no illusion of grandeur. Colour plays a big role here too; it’s optimistic, it brings warmth and emotion.
Your work often balances polish with effortlessness. Do you think modern elegance needs a little imperfection?
I think modern elegance needs a degree of looseness, a sense that the clothes are lived in rather than overly controlled. For me, sophistication is not perfection; when everything is too pristine, it loses personality.
If someone found this collection in a vintage shop 30 years from now, what would you hope they’d think about it?
I’d hope they’d feel the emotion and still feel the quality of the fabrics. Vintage becomes interesting when clothing holds its character, when it still says something. If someone picked up a piece and thought, “This still feels expressive, modern, and wearable”, then I’d feel I’d done my job.
Which piece from the collection feels the most you, and why?
It has to be the Italian wool trench. I love the exaggerated detail of the shoulders; it brings attitude and sophistication.
Looking ahead, how do you envision evolving the creative identity of & Other Stories under your direction?
Storytelling is such an important part of my approach to & Other Stories. I believe in creating collections that empower customers to express themselves in their own way. Colour balance, attitude, fabric: it all comes back to storytelling. My goal is to continue designing expressive design, quality craftsmanship, and accessibility.
