Who is Jonathan Anderson, Dior’s new creative director

DOpeous weeks of rumor, intensified by the appointment as creative director of the Manswear, is now official: Jonathan Anderson will take the reins (Also) of the creative direction of Dior Womenswear. A choice that marks a turning point in the path of the maison and that leads in the spotlight one of the most enigmatic, cerebral and surprising stylists of contemporary fashion. What awaits him? Ten collections per yearthe inheritance prolific in terms of sales of Maria Grazia Chiuri and the expectation of A change of stylistic step.

But Who is Jonathan Anderson reallybeyond the catwalks and official press releases? Here you are Five things to know about him To understand its style better and predict what your Dior will be like.

1. He was born in Northern Ireland and studied to become an actor

Class 1984originally from Magrafelt, Northern Ireland, Jonathan Anderson arrives in fashion passing through the theater. It is formed as an actor in Washington and New York, but it is the fascination for the stage costumes that brings it back to London at the London College of Fashion. A key step, which is still reflected in collections with a strong narrative and visual component. Each parade signed JW Anderson or Loewe is built as a set: sculpture clothes, accessories-manifesto, models that look like characters. Not surprisingly, among its muses more assiduous stand out actresses from the intense charisma like Taylor Russell, Greta Lee, Zendaya and Chloë Sevigny.

2. He founded his brand at just 24 years old (and he never abandoned him)

In 2008, at just 24 years old, Jonathan Anderson Lancia JW Anderson, An independent label that immediately imposes itself on the London scene thanks to a daring aesthetic, deconstructed and strongly Gender Flid. His style, from the beginning, challenges the separation between male and female and does it with tailoring intelligence and cultured references. In a few years the brand becomes an international caseuntil you enter the LVMH radar, which in 2013 entrusts him with the creative direction of Loewe. Since then, Anderson has never put his brand aside. And today, despite the appointment as a universal creative director of Dior – role that will commit him in Ten collections per yearbetween prêt-à-porter, haute couture and cruise-has chosen to Do not give up JW Anderson nor to the collaboration with Uniqlostarted in 2017 and now a fixed appointment by two seasonal capsules.

The result? With 18 collections per year, Anderson in fact becomes the most prolific designer of contemporary fashion after Karl Lagerfeld. Will be capable to decline your vision from a radical aesthetic to a more accessible, without ever losing creative consistency?

3. He does not like the spotlight (but called trends)

Shy, reflective, little inclined to self -leve Jonathan Anderson is everything but a celebrity designer. Still, it is his creations that have put him over and several times at the center of attention. From the Puzzle bag, launched in 2015 for Loewe, today one of the most recognizable bags of the decade. To collaboration with Luca Guadagnino For Challengers, Where Anderson signed all the looks of Zendaya and colleagues (Mike Faist and Josh O ‘Connor) in the film. Building a wardrobe that has become viral out of the screen, such as the “I Told Ya” t-shirt, but also on the red carpet, where the Method Dressing He demonstrated his potential.

And then there are the advertising campaignsdistinguished by well -known faces but not very accustomed to the fashion system: from the legendary Maggie Smith to an unrecognizable Daniel Craig. Anderson’s taste challenges stereotypes even when it comes to celebrity, bringing the same mix of visual intelligence and controlled break on the set that defines its collections.

4. Art is his true fetish

Anderson is a declared art collector. Has collaborated with institutions such as the Victoria & Albert Museum of Londonfor which he signed the exhibition in 2017 Disobedient Bodies. And his work for Loewe has been crossed by explicit artistic references for years: from collaborations with Lynda Benglis, Joe McShea & Edgar Mosaup to the tributes to painters such as Albert Yorkthe collections parade between art and matter. And in the recent Loewe fashion shows, between floral gigantographies and post-industrial installations, the border between the catwalk and the gallery has become increasingly labile. A direction that from Dior could work. If Maria Grazia Chiuri has built her aesthetic figure on crafts and collaborations with excellent laboratories all over the world, Anderson could open the maison a A more close dialogue with contemporary art.

5. He made Loewe the most relevant luxury brand on Tiktok

Among the great luxury maison, Loewe is perhaps the only one who has really understood Tiktok. And the merit is (also) by Jonathan Anderson. While remaining personally defilated and completely detached from social networks, he invested in one of the most advanced strategy in the sector: satirical, pop, self -referential at the right point. Under his guide, Loewe managed to conquer the Chinese platform by changing Tone of Voice, speaking the language of Gen Z without seeming out of place. Ha rid of viral trendsplayed with ironic memes and formats, collaborated with Creators such as Nara Smith, culinary it-girl with a fulminating success, and staged a fluid, cultured and witty digital identity.

@Loewe Making the #Loewe Classic Puzzle Bag in Our Spanish Atelier. The Puzzle is the Debut Bag for Loewe by Creative Director Jonathan Anderson and Comes in Both ‘Classic’ and ‘Edge’ Constructions. #Makingof #Asmr ♬ Waltz No. 10 / Chopin, Piano (1085818) – We M Knot

A communication lesson that from Dior, brand still rather institutional online, could mark an epochal change: By opening the maison to new targets, without giving up the aura of exclusivity.

It is difficult to predict how its path will evolve at the helm of Dior, but one thing is certain: Jonathan Anderson does not follow the rules of the game. The one who brought fashion to new territories, Will he be able to do the same with the Parisian maison par excellence?

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