Name: Bianca James
Nationality: Canadian
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Recent release: Bianca James's eponymous debut album is out now.
Fashion recommendations: Courrèges vinyl miniskirts and jackets; Miu Miu beaded cropped 2-piece coordinated skirt and top sets.  

If you enjoyed this interview with Bianca James and would like to stay up to date with her music, visit her official homepage. She is also on Instagram, Facebook, and tiktok.



Fashion and music are often closely related to one's identity. Can you please tell us a bit about your own sense of identity – and how it motivated you to take an artistic path?

Great question. I’ve always been a musician - even as a little girl, I would sing into my mum’s hairbrushes and invent songs. Something in my soul has always inspired me to take an artistic path – I think it’s something you’re born with.

So I’ve done my best to honour that and hone my skills as a singer and songwriter.

In which way do you feel your identity concretely influences your creativity?

My identity as a free-spirited but grounded North American woman has definitely inspired my musical sound!

I love the 60s sonically and visually, and endeavour to bring that aesthetic into 2023 with my music and look. I grew up listening to my parent’s record collection and watching their favourite films, so I dreamed about Swinging London, the Mediterranean, Bond films, Motown and British Rock – all these things have inspired my creativity.  

Describe your personal style, please, and how your choice of fashion allows you to express it. Which fashion brands or style icons do you personally find inspiring - and why?

I’ve always loved bright colours and shiny textures and felt the desire to spark joy and a sense of wonder in the world around me. You can count on catching me in things like cool-toned pastels, bright colours, sparkly dresses for stage and I always rock long hair!

French brand Courrèges makes 60s inspired vinyl miniskirts and matching jackets modern – they perfectly encapsulate my style. I swear Nicolas Di Felice can see into my brain and creates my ideal outfits!

I also love Miu Miu. Fashion icons: Jane Birkin, Brigitte Bardot, Dua Lipa, Harry Styles.

Fashion can embody ideals that extend far beyond aesthetics, reaching into ecology, politics and social issues. Does this apply to you as well, and if so, in which way?  

I’ve also felt stifled in a lot of the roles and expectations that society has expected of me as a woman – so I love to feel free. That explains why I love miniskirts so I can move around, and chunky soled boots so I can feel sexy but move.

It’s important to me to feel feminine but powerful at the same time. I love to support others around me and to help them also feel empowered.

I don’t dress like anyone in Toronto – this is a city of yoga pants, sweatpants, hipster beads or basic dreary suits. You’ll know I’m coming when you spot someone in a bright orange mini skirt and crop top coming down the street haha!

What was the relationship between music and fashion for you like personally? When was the first time that you became aware of the connection between fashion and music?

I’ve always admired my favourite musicians for their style. Tina Tuner’s iconic miniskirts and dresses, the bands of 60s British Rock and their mop top hair.

I think I first consciously became aware of it as a teen when I was able to start experimenting with my look – and trying to emulate my idols (badly! Lol).


Bianca James Interview Image by Brendan Albert Photography

What do fashion and design add to your perception of music?

Fashion and design can encapsulate a certain time and mood. For example, the robin’s egg blue convertible Mustang design of the 50s spoke to the optimism of American post-war design at the time.

Fashion is just design for the body. It’s very powerful. How we chose to present ourselves visually always impacts our perception of music. David Bowie’s music would mean less to me if I couldn’t imagine him rocking out in a space sequin suit – for example. It’s what he dares to do and to wear that helps bring an edge to his music.

It’s like he’s saying “here’s a different way of seeing and hearing the world.”

What can fashion express what music can not?

Fashion is a visual language and music is a sonic one. Fashion is outward facing, because people see what you wear, whereas - often music is inward facing (ex: you listen to music on headphones). So they express different things.

It seems obvious that fashion and music are closely linked, but just how that influence works hasn't always been clear. Would you say that music leads fashion? Is it the other way round? Or are they inseparable in some ways?  

I think they are inseparable. Every musician is rebelling against something and trying to make a mark on the world with their sound – and the way they choose to dress contributes to that.

Fashion and music can be expressions or celebration of identity, but they can also be an effort to establish new ones or break free from them. How would you describe your own approach in this regard?

I wanted to break free from the aesthetic choices that dominate the current North American landscape – and the roles they subliminally communicate.

I want to express to the world: “here I am – I’m a woman in music – and I’m not afraid to take up space and be heard. I’m not going to stand in the corner and be silent. I’m here to ROCK!”

Does what you wear change your personality – and thus the music you create or the way you perform?

Oh yes. I’m always in a bad mood in tight jeans – in fact I just threw them all out!

I need to be free, to move, to dance, to kick, and sing.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though designing a fashion item or even putting together a great outfit for yourself is inherently different from something like composing a piece of music?

No actually I think it’s the same sort of creativity, just in a different modality.

What I chose to wear (bright 1960s x 2023 clothing) is exactly the same thing I am doing musically!

Are you currently active in the fashion industry? If so, tell me about your experiences, please.

I often buy second hand pieces for $20 at thrift shops and then redesign them myself into something modern, new and unique. I design clothes and have many collections in my head – I would love to collaborate with a fashion house in the near future to bring them all to life! Fashion, scents, makeup, even home design goods.

There’s so much I want to bring into the world under the Bianca James brand of colourful, strong, feminine but fierce, and timeless aesthetic.


Bianca James Interview Image by Amoroso Films

Fashion extends to the artwork of releases and promotional photography as well. Could you talk about your approach in this regard and what some considerations were for some of your most recent cover designs and images?

My cover art was a selfie I took at the beach, then I chose black and white to give it a more dark and timeless cinematic feel to match the depth of my music.

The coral font adds some lightness and sparkle, plus it references the 60s, and the bold poster font harkens to classic film posters.

There is a fine line between cultural exchange and appropriation. This true both for music and fashion. What are your thoughts on the limits of copying, using cultural signs and symbols and the cultural/social/gender specificity of art?

I think we need to be very sensitive to others around us and be mindful of where things come from. To make sure we honour traditions from a place of love and respect.