Launching back in February, whether cherished for a lifetime or just used for one game, 1XBLUE revives scarves beyond their former glory. Sifting through eBay and her local charity shops Saunders has discovered a wealth of recyclable material. Often playing about with branded Nike or PALACE scarves, she’s constantly repurposing. With prices starting from £35, her pieces are scooped up fast.

The 21-year-old graduated this summer from The Manchester School of Art where she was studying their Fashion Design course. Saunders’ final collection is named ‘Medieval Punks Try Couture’ in which she was heavily inspired by both her family's punk history and medieval history to create intricate embroideries while incorporating sportswear finishes to modernise it.

She realises how different that collection was to her current brand but highlights her love of showing characters within her work, “a lot of the football scarfs that I started to use featured the players faces”, she draws parallels between tapestry and her current body of work. Expect to see 1XBLUE scarves covered in strippers, bulldogs or Homer Simpson rather than Knights in shining armour.

Which designers inspire your practice?

I would say Paolina Russo was a big inspiration for my practise, I love the aesthetic she has for her designs, how they are really trendy but also maintain a sportswear theme.

Do you think it's important for more women to take up space within sportswear?

Yes, for sure! In the past sportswear has been very male dominated so I think it's important to have more women on the scene, after all sportswear is cool and trendy!

How did you find studying fashion outside of London?

It was a good decision for me, my dad lives in London, so I knew the city fairly well and I wanted a change. Manchester being quite far from where I grew up meant that I was venturing into a new area which was unknown to me. I had never visited Manchester before I went to my uni interview, which I found was very exciting. Also, being a student the prices outside of London are way more affordable so I could actually go out with mates regularly without having a massive financial strain.

How integral is experimentation to your design process? Do things ever go wrong?

Experimentation tends to always lead to something new and exciting from what I have discovered so far. My work consists of a lot of patchwork, so if something goes wrong it's fixable early.

As a female who “isn’t that into football” them self, do your designs make you feel more connected to that world/community? Do you take more of an interest in it now?

I definitely have more knowledge around the sport now, when I buy football scarves it makes me more aware of which player is on which team etc, which to be honest when I started 1XBLUE I had no clue about. I also know the importance of trying not to mix different teamed scarfs together on a garment, because apparently that's a crime to all football fanatics.

Why is sustainability important to your brand?

Being a fashion graduate (just graduated) I have always been very aware of how problematic fast fashion can be, down to how it affects the environment and the long-term failing conditions and pay of the factory workers who make the clothes. Trying to be as sustainable as possible is something I want to continue within my brand. Reusing old footie scarves also gives my label a nostalgic theme, which is a bonus for me as it promotes sustainability.

Who has bought your pieces that surprised/excited you?

Madison Beer purchased two items from my Depop page, I was shocked to see this because she is so well known! But I have had a lot of cool stylists get in touch for their clients which is quite exciting for me!

How have apps like Depop and Instagram helped you to build your brand?

Depop was a really good platform for me to start on, they featured me a few times on their Instagram page which helped me grow a lot at the start. I sell mainly on my website now though; I think it's important to make the transition to a personal website if you want your designs to be more established as a brand. But I will always be grateful to Depop for helping me grow my business and would highly recommend it for anyone wanting to start selling their own products.

Where do you see yourself and your brand going in the foreseeable future?

I can imagine 1XBLUE growing quite a bit more, I want to organise pop up stores and fashion shows for the future when I release new collections. To be honest I'm not entirely sure, I’m really enjoying how it's going at the moment, so I think I’m looking forward to seeing what happens naturally.