–Katya Moorman
The designer behind SAUND on biblical chaos, deadstock treasure hunts, and what happens when repression breaks.
There’s a tailored coat in Hannah Saunders’ debut collection where the seams are reversed — exposed, raw, a little distressed — interrupting an otherwise composed silhouette. It’s a small decision that says everything about what she’s working through. “You have this very structured, tailored coat and some of the seams are reversed to be exposed and distressed,” she explains. That push and pull — between control and its inevitable unraveling — is the engine running through the whole collection, titled Crimes of Passion after the 1984 Ken Russell film.
In the film, Kathleen Turner plays a woman living a double life, and Saunders is drawn to exactly that fracture. “The different characters living this double life felt really in line with the chaos/control theme, as well as the religious references,” she says. She grew up Catholic, surrounded by people whose polished exteriors barely contained what was underneath. “I encountered so many individuals with this extremely rigid, repressed exterior but you could see there was so much emotion bubbling beneath the surface. When that reaches its breaking point is what I like to explore.” She’s reinterpreting biblical characters and motifs through what she calls a “sexy, absurd” lens — which reflects the Russell film’s psychedelic, unhinged energy.
The structural tension plays out across multiple pieces. A bondage jacket is covered in strips of fabric that detach and hang loose at the sides — “like restraints breaking,” she says. A cotton net dress cinched with belts speaks the same language. The high/low mix extends to the overall aesthetic: elegant tailoring sits alongside distressed graphic tees, deliberately. “I’m really into this high/low aesthetic,” she says. “It explores this theme of control vs chaos that I’m drawn to.”
On materials, Saunders operates entirely in deadstock and secondhand. “Sustainability just comes naturally to designing at the scale I’m at, but I’m also a thrifty person and I love the treasure hunt.” Her first stops are Fabscrap and Metro Textiles (“phenomenal shop and the owner there is wonderful”),
But the sourcing goes beyond that to studio sales, street finds –whatever turns up. “Certain materials are easy to find secondhand, like for the ribbed tank or graphic tee, but others will be more challenging. To me though, that makes the pieces I do produce more special.” she shared. Just recently she rescued burlap sacks being tossed at a local coffee shop. She’s already thinking about what to do with them.
The collection exists in that ever-evolving zone where art practice and personal wardrobe overlap. “For me and my friends, mostly,” she says of who she designs for. The leather tote started as a gift for her partner and generated enough interest that she started producing more.
Next up: a small accessories drop this summer built around custom metalwork she’s currently developing through soldering before handing off to a local fabricator. Metal has always figured into her personal style. “It feels like armor to me. It communicates a certain toughness, and it’s sexy.” Making hardware — buttons, buckles, closures — from scratch is the logical next move for a practice this intentional about materiality. Beyond that, she’s moving toward a more textile-focused approach next season, pulling on the fabric techniques that excited her most in this collection.
The full Crimes of Passion collection is available at saund.world and viewable in person by appointment at her studio.
Hannah’s Favorites
Book – Play it as it Lays – Joan Didion
Movie – Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Creative Inspo – Czech new wave/arthouse cinema
Food – Guay Tiew Thai noodles
Quality in a human being – honesty
Animal – orange cat (mine specifically)
Person you Admire – Rei Kawakubo
Quote to live by – anything David Lynch has ever tweeted
CREDITS:
Photography: Julia Fisher ( @babygoatgirl )
Videography: Nat Cherry ( @natdotnet_ )
Stylist: Mabel Maung ( @myanmartian )
Models: Asher ( @asherburrows ), Venus ( @venusrosefischer ), & Moe
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