By Mari Sato
There are two paths to becoming a truly successful fashion designer. One, launch your own brand and receive critical acclaim, or two, revitalize an existing brand into a leading authority. The latter path can be attributed to Karl Lagerfeld’s transformative work at Chanel, inspiring others to follow in his footsteps. Designers like Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton, Tom Ford for Gucci, and Daniel Roseberry at Schiaparelli have revived legacy brands. However, few have successfully reinvented an established fashion house while maintaining their own label. Jonathan Anderson is one of those rare exceptions.
Hailing from Northern Ireland, Jonathan Anderson began his career in acting before enrolling in the London College of Fashion. Post-grad, Anderson started his fashion career as a visual merchandiser for Prada in 2005. By 2008 Anderson launched his namesake menswear label, JW Anderson, and soon received high critical praise for juxtaposing masculine and feminine design aesthetics. After numerous successful brand collaborations LVMH bought a minority stake in JW Anderson and hired Anderson as the creative director of Spanish design label Loewe in September 2013.
Back in 2013, few people considered Loewe a tastemaker brand. The house had been struggling to bring itself into modernity, remaining confined by the traditional codes established at the brand’s inception in 1846. Anderson knew he wanted to strike 1846 from the record and look at the Madrid-based label from a different perspective. Inspired by the Loewe archives from the 50s-70s and the island of Ibiza, where the designer spent a great deal of his childhood, Anderson debuted his fresh take on the brand in 2014. The spring menswear collection marked Anderson’s premier show and the first-ever ready-to-wear menswear line for Loewe. The collection included high canvas cuffed jeans, suede polo shirts, and a waterproof leather jacket. His premier set the tone for what Anderson would accomplish at the brand: a revival of identity and perception.
That same year Anderson revealed the iconic puzzle bag. The modern classic was revolutionary for its geometric and multifunctional design. Not only was it an homage to the leather goods history of the brand but a modern masterpiece encompassing hard lines with a soft silhouette.
Although Anderson was successful in growing the brand by 2022 the designer became dissatisfied with the level of visibility the brand was receiving. Anderson decided that Loewe must become one of the top brands people engage in. To accomplish this, Anderson took a turn into surrealism.
This shift in design and marketing strategy made way for a plethora of groundbreaking garments. Shoes with balloon heels, tops and pants that appeared pixelated, and even chia-infused garments that had the plant growing out of them. His work appeared less of the work of a modern fashion designer and more so of a graphic designer making skins for metaverse avatars. These collections garnered record-breaking buzz for Loewe and cemented the perception of both the brand and designer as visionaries.
However, according to industry sources, Anderson is said to be leaving the brand this January. Rumor has it Anderson will be heading to Dior to take over as creative director. Although this could be the fashion rumor mill getting the better of me, I can’t think of a better designer to take on the position. With Kim Jones, director of Dior Homme, officially leaving the brand, Anderson is the logical choice for a successor. With the added resources of a couture-centered house, there are limitless possibilities for what Anderson will be able to do. But one thing is for certain, Jonathan Anderson will continue to facilitate a stir of cultural discussion about fashion, whether at Loewe, his own brand, or even Dior.
