Bianca Spender has built her legacy on a design philosophy that balances structure with fluidity, where garments invite women to inhabit them with both strength and ease. Over the years, her ready-to-wear has become synonymous with sculptural silhouettes and quiet poetry in motion. Now, she extends that vision into a new dimension with the launch of her debut swimwear collection – an evolution that feels both inevitable and deeply personal.

Described by the Founder & Creative Director as a “poetic homage to the ocean,” the collection captures the intimacy of water: its ability to hold, transform, and renew. Swimwear, for Spender, is not simply a category expansion but a continuation of her language of form and function – pieces that move with the body, honour sensuality, and empower through wear. At the same time, the launch carries a resonance beyond design.

Spender has chosen this moment to speak publicly about her own experience with skin cancer, a journey that has sharpened her perspective on vulnerability, resilience, and care of self. In tandem with the swimwear collection, she has unveiled the Bianca Spender Suncare Awareness Campaign, developed in partnership with the Melanoma Institute. Through initiatives such as free in-store skin checks, the campaign seeks to shift suncare from a seasonal afterthought to a daily ritual of protection and self-respect – placing wellbeing at the heart of style.

Below, in conversation with RUSSH, the designer reflects on the inspirations behind her swimwear debut, the ocean’s enduring influence on her creativity, and how her personal journey has shaped both her philosophy of design and her commitment to community care.

Your swimwear debut feels like a natural evolution of your brand – what inspired you to take this step now, and how does it reflect your signature design philosophy?

Swim felt like the right next step because it allowed me to explore my design language in a new dimension. My ready-to-wear has always been about sculpting fluidity. Pieces that hold space for both structure and freedom. Swimwear pushes that philosophy further: garments that must live between water and body, where form, movement, and function are inseparable. It’s a continuation of my ongoing exploration of how women inhabit clothes with both strength and ease.

You’ve described the collection as a “poetic homage to the ocean.” Can you share how water personally influences your creativity and the way you approached this collection?

The ocean has always been a place of clarity and surrender for me. There’s something transformative about water. It has an ability to hold you, to quiet the world, to remind you of your own rhythms. In designing this collection, I wanted to capture that feeling of immersion: pieces that honour the sensuality of water while sculpting the body in a way that feels empowering and effortless.

The collection balances sculptural form with functionality. What was most important to you in translating your ready-to-wear codes into swimwear?

For me, it was about ensuring that the design handwriting remained intact, but with the performance and comfort that swim requires. Every piece had to work technically: to support, to move, to feel like a second skin. The challenge was to keep the poetry alive while never compromising on function.

You’ve chosen to share your own personal experiences alongside this launch. What made you feel that now was the right moment to share your story publicly?

This collection felt deeply personal because of the relationship between skin, sun, and water. I’ve had my own experience with skin cancer, and stepping into swimwear made me reflect on the vulnerability and strength of that journey. It felt important to be open about it now. To connect design with a conversation that could genuinely support and protect women.

In what ways has your personal journey with skin cancer influenced the vision behind the Bianca Spender Suncare Awareness Campaign and the way you approach your work as a designer?

It’s reshaped the way I think about care of self, community and the environment we live in. The campaign is about empowerment through awareness: encouraging women to honour their bodies not just through what they wear, but how they care for them. As a designer, it has made me more conscious of designing clothes that respect the body’s resilience and fragility in equal measure.

The campaign includes in-store skin checks and a partnership with the Melanoma Institute. What impact do you hope these initiatives will have on your community?

I hope they create space for awareness and action. Too often, suncare is reactive rather than preventative. By offering free in-store skin checks and partnering with the Melanoma Institute, I want to remove barriers and encourage early detection. If even one life is changed because someone decided to check their skin, the campaign has served its purpose.

You’ve spoken about wanting to shift suncare from a “seasonal afterthought” to a “daily act of self-care.” How do you envision fashion helping to reframe this mindset?

Fashion has the power to ritualise the everyday. Just as we choose clothes each morning that express who we are, we can weave sun protection into that ritual. By bringing this conversation into fashion, we can shift the perception of suncare from obligation to empowerment.

Beyond this October, how do you see the awareness campaign growing or evolving in future years?

This is just the beginning. My hope is that the campaign becomes a long-term dialogue that evolves with our community. That might mean expanding partnerships, creating more educational initiatives, or continuing to integrate awareness into our collections. Ultimately, I’d like it to grow into a movement that champions both design and wellbeing.