From the Pillow Dress to clothes for avatars, the magical world of world-renowned Yorkshire designer Cunnington & Sanderson

The artistic and arresting designs of Cunnington & Sanderson tackle mental health and sustainability issues in style. Now they are stepping into the digital world with clothes designed for avatars. They talk to Stephanie Smith.

High in a converted jacquard mill in Silsden, West Yorkshire, Matthew Cunnington and John Sanderson work side by side in their studio, swathing mannequins with fabric, folding, crafting, playing out stories with their evocative, strikingly beautiful designs.

As the creative duo behind eponymous luxury womenswear brand Cunnington & Sanderson, their work is instantly recognisable to those with a yearning for challenging, individual, avant-garde fashion, for clothes with meaning. Their garments are sculptural yet fluid, always unexpected, sometimes haunting, questioning, inviting, as if asking to be stepped into, to live as one with the wearer.

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“Because we drape everything by hand, everything is unique - it’s our signature that people recognise,” says John Sanderson.

Matthew Cunnington, left, and John Sanderson (wearing the Pillow T-shirt) with Knot Dress worn by model Ellie Sutcliffe at Salts Mill. Photograph by Alex Baldea.Matthew Cunnington, left, and John Sanderson (wearing the Pillow T-shirt) with Knot Dress worn by model Ellie Sutcliffe at Salts Mill. Photograph by Alex Baldea.
Matthew Cunnington, left, and John Sanderson (wearing the Pillow T-shirt) with Knot Dress worn by model Ellie Sutcliffe at Salts Mill. Photograph by Alex Baldea.

“I think it’s what has drawn us together from the beginning, because we both had a similar vision. It’s always something new from our hands.”

Every garment is inspired by a narrative and holds within it its own emotional symbolism. Many will recognise the Pillow top and dress that featured in the Future Fashion Exhibition 2019 at Lotherton Hall, sparking a mini social media trend for turning a padded pillow into a mini dress (it has also been featured in Vogue Italia, Dansk Magazine, Kinfolk China, and featured at Milan Fashion Week). There was a serious message behind the concept, highlighting and raising awareness of mental health issues and associated feelings of solitude.

John says: “The bed becomes wearable clothes, so your surroundings are worn. The pillow was to highlight that you are not hiding from your anxieties or worries, but wearing them. We wanted to encourage people to talk about how they feel.”

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This design concept has now developed into a T-shirt. “Mainly because I wanted one for myself,” says John, adding that they also wanted to make it a wearable option for more potential customers.

Cunnington & Sanderson Hope sweatshirt, £390, and Chandelier skirt, £195 in the sale.Cunnington & Sanderson Hope sweatshirt, £390, and Chandelier skirt, £195 in the sale.
Cunnington & Sanderson Hope sweatshirt, £390, and Chandelier skirt, £195 in the sale.

Matthew, originally from Birmingham, and John, from Kelbrook, near Skipton, met while studying Fashion Design at the University of Central England. They have lived and worked in the Silsden mill development for 13 years, and say it gives them the light and freedom they need to work without distraction.

The atmospheric model images here were photographed on the moors nearby. “It’s a place to escape and unwind, but also, through the landscape and nature, we are always inspired,” John says.

The pair have collected an extensive and impressive list of awards, nominations and accolades since 2008, when Matthew won the Grand Prize at the Festival International de Mode at Hyeres. Their designs have been photographed by Rankin and worn by style icons including model Lily Gatins, singer/songwriter Zola Jesus, Eurovision Song Contest winner Conchita Wurst and RuPaul’s Drag Race star Le Fil, and many others. They have shown in Milan, featured in Vogue and Elle, sat on panels, been judges, and teach fashion students across the UK as visiting lecturers, with the focus on their key driver, sustainability.

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The S-word, sustainability, is now paraded about universally by large high street and online fashion brands, most very late to the party compared with the likes of small independent brands such as Cunnington & Sanderson.

Cunnington & Sanderson Zero print organic dress, now £305 in the sale. Photographer Watson Smith and Model Josie Roberts.Cunnington & Sanderson Zero print organic dress, now £305 in the sale. Photographer Watson Smith and Model Josie Roberts.
Cunnington & Sanderson Zero print organic dress, now £305 in the sale. Photographer Watson Smith and Model Josie Roberts.

“The more people that talk about it, the better,” says John. “It’s how far the understanding goes. I think a lot of people are trying to use the word as a promotion point, but we are trying to use it as education.”

Now, in what might be the most sustainable fashion initiative ever, Cunnington & Sanderson is working with Seamm, a digital wardrobe and marketplace for virtual worlds, on a collection that will be available both in the real-world and the digital one. So customers will be able to buy a digital asset, such as a piece of clothing for avatars, and these can be traded and worn in games and metaverses. It’s a way of expressing personal style without adding to the clothes’ mountain. See the video at the top of the page.

Back in the real world, their latest collection is called What Once Was, although new designs constantly filter through. “We are not traditional in terms of working to a season,” John says. “Because we believe our fashion is timeless, we try to promote slow fashion.”

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New pieces include the Heart Sweatshirt in bright yellow organic cotton with sustainable printing, a break from their usual monochrome palette, and the Vision T-shirt, genderless and one size fits all.

Cunnington and Sanderson Heart T-shirt, now £110 in the saleCunnington and Sanderson Heart T-shirt, now £110 in the sale
Cunnington and Sanderson Heart T-shirt, now £110 in the sale

The Zero dress is a current key piece with the word ‘ZERO’ printed boldly down the front. “We hope that people will ask the wearer ‘ what does the ZERO’ mean?,” John says. “Hopefully, our customers will have a good understanding of sustainability and they will be able to educate other people.

“We both work on everything,” says John. “We always work to a narrative at the beginning of our collection, so we both drape on mannequins and come up with new silhouettes, new structures and then we work on how to build the story. We try not to use many seams, to make the structure fluid around the body, comfortable, easy to wear.”

​The pair work with organic fabrics and locally sourced heritage wool and textiles from Yorkshire mills, including Hainsworth and Abraham Moon. Last October, they presented the Knot dress, made in collaboration with textile artist Rebecca Ough from Salts Weave Studio, and they hope to showcase their work at another exhibition later in the year.

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“We want people to make a connection to it,” says John. “We don’t want them to see it as something that they just wear. We want it to be something that has a message or a story or a meaning.”

*All designs are available at cunningtonandsanderson.com.

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