This season, Bianca Spender invites us beneath the surface. Her Summer 25 collection, Deliquesce, explores the quiet power of surrender. A poetic unravelling of form, structure and emotion. Guided by the transformative force of water, Deliquesce is a meditation on letting go.

In this intimate conversation, Bianca shares the emotional undercurrents that shaped the collection. From sculptural silhouettes dissolving into liquid drapes, to tailoring that breaks down and begins again. She speaks to the catharsis of design, the tension between control and release, and her first foray into swimwear.

Here, Bianca reflects on the making of Deliquesce, and the personal evolution that runs through every thread. Here we plunge deeper into the process. Read on to uncover the inspiration, intention, and craft behind the new collection.

THIS COLLECTION OPENS WITH THE QUESTION, “WHAT PART OF YOU IS ASKING TO BE SET FREE?” WHAT PART OF YOURSELF WERE YOU PERSONALLY READY TO RELEASE WHILE DESIGNING THIS SEASON?

“This season, I was ready to release the weight of self-containment. The part of me that holds tension or overthinks. I wanted to let go of the need for structure, and instead surrender to flow, to instinct, to feeling. In letting go during the creation of the collection, I discovered that the truest expression always finds its way to the surface.”

YOU DESCRIBE WATER AS OMNIPOTENT AND SYMBOLIC OF SURRENDER. HOW DOES THIS IDEA MANIFEST IN THE SHAPES, FABRICS AND MOVEMENT OF THE COLLECTION?

“Water is such a powerful metaphor. It holds and it moves, it cleanses and transforms. That duality really guided the design. You’ll see drapes that feel like currents pulling across the body, asymmetric lines that move like waves, and fabrics that flicker and ripple like light underwater. The pieces aren’t static, they’re designed to move with the wearer, and to evolve as they move.”

DELIQUESCE’ IS SUCH A POWERFUL WORD, EVOKING DISSOLUTION, FLUIDITY AND TRANSFORMATION. WHY DID THIS WORD FEEL SO CENTRAL TO THE SPIRIT OF THE COLLECTION?

“There’s something hauntingly beautiful about the idea of dissolving. Not disappearing but softening and melting into something new. Deliquesce captured that sensation for me: the moment when structure gives way to intuition, when you stop resisting and let go. It speaks to the emotional process of transformation – of becoming lighter by releasing what no longer serves you.”

THERE’S A CLEAR EMOTIONAL ARC THROUGHOUT THE PIECES IN THE COLLECTION. FROM TENSION TO RELEASE, HEAVINESS TO LIGHTNESS. HOW DID YOU EXPLORE THESE EMOTIONAL STATES THROUGH SILHOUETTE AND CONSTRUCTION?

“I approached it almost like choreography. Some garments begin with tight, sculpted forms that then unravel into billowing volume or asymmetry – much like the feeling of holding your breath and then exhaling deeply. Drawstrings, loops and sweeping folds are all gestures of movement and release. It’s the body in dialogue with itself, caught between control and surrender.”

TAILORING IN THIS COLLECTION IS DESCRIBED AS BEING BROKEN DOWN AND REBUILT. WHAT DID THIS PROCESS OF TRANSFORMATION LOOK LIKE FOR YOU IN THE STUDIO?

“It was about reimagining the very foundations of tailoring. Removing the rules and asking, “what happens if we let this edge collapse, if we twist this line?” We deconstructed traditional shapes and rebuilt them with emotion, not rigidity. There’s a rawness to some of the tailoring in this collection – that to me feels more honest and alive.”

THERE’S A STRONG SENSE OF LIGHTNESS, ALMOST TRANSCENDENCE, IN THE FABRICS YOU’VE CHOSEN: FROM IRIDESCENT CHIFFON TO WASHED TEXTURES. WHAT ROLE DOES FABRIC PLAY IN STORYTELLING FOR YOU?

“Fabric is the first layer of emotion. It sets the tone before the garment is even formed. For this collection, I chose materials that could hold contradiction - strength and softness, gloss and transparency. Organza gives a sense of being both seen and protected. Crinkled textures feel like the memory of movement. Every fabric was chosen for how it could communicate feeling, not just form.”

YOU MENTION BEING A DEEPLY EMOTIVE PERSON AND USING FEELING AS A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION. HOW DID YOU TAP INTO THAT INTERNAL WORLD TO DESIGN THIS SEASON?

“I gave myself permission to feel deeply. To sit with discomfort, to reflect on what I was holding on to. I went swimming a lot, literally plunging into water! I find it incredibly meditative. The ocean has always been a place of clarity for me. It reminded me that we can’t control the current, but we can learn to float. That became the emotional undercurrent of the collection.”

THIS SEASON ALSO MARKS BIANCA SPENDER’S DEBUT INTO SWIMWEAR. HOW DID YOU APPROACH TRANSLATING YOUR SIGNATURE DRAPE AND SCULPTURAL FORMS INTO PIECES MEANT FOR THE WATER?

“Swimwear is an extension of the body, and it felt so natural to bring my design language into that space. I wanted pieces that felt elevated but fluid. Asymmetric necklines, organic ties, jacquards that add subtle texture and depth. It was about capturing that sensuality and strength that exists when you’re closest to nature. Designing swim felt like the most honest way to express the spirit of the collection.”