ANDERSON STYLISTIC CHAOS FORETOLD

A fashion prodigy who must have woken up one day and said to himself: ‘What if I made fashion into a vast playground where nothing makes sense any more, but everyone applauds?’

Born in Northern Ireland, an ideal place to develop a sensitivity to tartan-style curtains, the land of whisky where couture is a clan. He studied at the London College of Fashion before launching JW Anderson in 2008. His idea was to merge the masculine and the feminine, to reinvent gender codes and, let’s be honest, to wreak havoc on wardrobes, which is now forbidden in the United States. He was soon spotted for his keen sense of ‘Why make things simple when you can make them complicated?’ and his love of clothes that defy gravity and common sense, as well as his love for Hecate, the mythological goddess in love with the Moon and magic.

Loewe, the Spanish leather goods brand that decided in 2013 that it was time to abandon its image as a chic old house and invite Anderson to mess things up with his experimental aesthetic. The result? Bags that look like jigsaw puzzles, jumpers that look like they’ve been knitted on acid, and adverts in which you wonder if the designer and photographer hadn’t had a night out with Elon Musk before the shoot. And yet… the fashion world is begging for more, and we don’t know why.

And because Jonathan loves a challenge, he’s racking up awards like an influencer who collects product placements: British Fashion Awards, Designer of the Year, and probably soon an Oscar for his starring role in “How to hypnotise Bernard Arnault into giving me Dior”. Because yes, rumour has it that he is in line to replace Maria Grazia Chiuri at Dior. After transforming Loewe into a temple of hype, why not do the same to Dior?

We’re already imagining deconstructed suits, evening dresses that look like contemporary art installations and, of course, shoes that don’t look like they were made for walking, but frankly, why walk when you can float on your ego?

So, is Dior + Anderson a perfect marriage or a fashion accident waiting to happen? One thing’s for sure: whether it’s a stroke of genius or sartorial chaos, we’re in for a good laugh.

FM