JW Anderson is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

label, founded by Jonathan Anderson. Anderson lived in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

during his youth before establishing JW Anderson in 2008 and subsequently launched his fashion house in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The brand initially focused on menswear, before moving into womenswear in 2010. From 2012 onwards, the brand and its designer have collaborated with a number of retail fashion brands, most notably

Topshop TOPSHOP (originally Top Shop) is a British fashion brand for women's clothing, shoes and accessories. It was part of the Arcadia Group, controlled by Sir Philip Green, but went into administration in late 2020 before being purchased by ASOS (r ...

and

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978 known for flashy prints and bright colors. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as w ...

with

LVMH LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French holding multinational corporation and conglomerate specializing in luxury goods, headquartered in Paris. The company was formed in 1987 through the merger of fashion house ...

acquiring a minority stake in the brand in 2013. JW Anderson won both men's and women's brand of the year at

British Fashion Council The British Fashion Council (BFC) is a non-profit organization that aims to enable sustainable growth of British fashion in the global fashion economy. Founded in 1983, the BFC organizes biannual womenswear and menswear showcases, London Fashi ...

The Fashion Awards The Fashion Awards, known as the British Fashion Awards until 2016, is an annual ceremony established in the United Kingdom in 1989 to showcase both British and international individuals and businesses who have made the most outstanding contribu ...

in 2015, the first brand to pick up both awards in the same year.

History

Jonathan Anderson graduated from the

London College of Fashion The London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, in London, England. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate, short courses, study abroad courses and business-training in fashion, make-up, beauty-therap ...

, before initially pursuing a career in acting. While working at the

Studio Theatre A black box theater is a simple performance space, typically a square room with black walls and a flat floor. The simplicity of the space allows it to be used to create a variety of configurations of stage and audience interaction. The black ...

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

, he became interested in costume design and went on to study a degree in menswear design, graduating in 2005. He worked as visual merchandiser at

Prada Prada S.p.A. (, ; ) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1913 in Milan by Mario Prada. It specializes in leather handbags, travel accessories, shoes, ready-to-wear, and other fashion accessories. Prada licenses its name and branding t ...

, working alongside the designer, Manuela Pavesi. Anderson moved to

to establish his eponymous label in 2008. JW Anderson launched a menswear line in 2008. It later introduced a womenswear line for autumn 2010. During the same year, JW Anderson received sponsorship from the

committee, presenting their first catwalk collection at

London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London twice a year, in February and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fashion wee ...

. JW Anderson secured its second sponsorship from the British Fashion Council in 2011, before winning the Emerging Talent Award in 2012. JW Anderson became more widely known in Britain after Anderson collaborated with

in 2012 creating a limited edition collection of clothing and accessories. ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' covered the brand's spring/summer collection that same year, including paisley-print daywear pyjamas, which sold out shortly after launch. During London Fashion Week in 2012, JW Anderson announced it was to host its first menswear-dedicated fashion week show. JW Anderson and Topshop collaborated again in early 2013. In June 2013, Anderson showcased his first collection for

. The collection was for their diffusion line, Versus, with Anderson as the line's relaunch designer. Part of JW Anderson's focus was on unisex clothes. It was also rumoured at the same time that

were considering Anderson for the role of creative director at

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its produc ...

. It was announced in September 2013 that LVMH had acquired a minority stake in JW Anderson. As part of the deal, Anderson was announced as creative director of the Spanish fashion house, Loewe.

Workshops

Taking inspiration from the

Omega Workshops The Omega Workshops Ltd. was a design enterprise founded by members of the Bloomsbury Group and established in July 1913. Shone, Richard. (1999) ''The Art of Bloomsbury: Roger Fry, Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant''. Princeton: Princeton University ...

, JW Anderson announced it would be launching its own workshops in

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...

. Formerly known as the JW Anderson Workshops, it was created to merge an exhibition experience within a store. The workshops housed a number of collections and collaborations throughout 2016, including with

A$AP Rocky Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky ( ; stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper, music producer and record executive. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a membe ...

M/M Paris M/M (Paris) is an art and design partnership consisting of Mathias Augustyniak (born 1967) and Michael Amzalag (born 1968), established in Paris in 1992. M/M are best known for their art direction and collaborations with musicians ( Björk, Madon ...

Printed Matter, Inc Printed Matter, Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit grant-supported bookstore, artist organization, and arts space which publishes and distributes artists' books. It is currently located at 231 11th Avenue in the Chelsea neighborhood of N ...

Mackintosh The Mackintosh or raincoat (abbreviated as mac) is a form of waterproof raincoat, first sold in 1824, made of rubberised fabric. The Mackintosh is named after its Scottish inventor Charles Macintosh, although many writers added a letter ''k' ...

, Giles Round, and photographers

Jamie Hawkesworth Jamie Hawkesworth is a British fashion and documentary photographer.Kin Woo,, ''The New York Times'', 28 August 2017. Accessed 28 November 2017.Alasdair McLellan. The JW Anderson Workshops also co-released a book with Spanish publisher Luis Venegas in 2016.

Exhibition

JW Anderson announced their first exhibition in September 2016, ''Disobedient Bodies'' at

The Hepworth Wakefield The Hepworth Wakefield is an art museum in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, which opened on 21 May 2011. The gallery is situated on the south side of the River Calder and takes its name from artist and sculptor Barbara Hepworth who was born a ...

from March to June 2017. The show aimed to create discussion on the theme of the body, specifically how each body part can disobey the body. More than 100 works were presented at the exhibition, including

Issey Miyake was a Japanese fashion designer. He was known for his technology-driven clothing designs, exhibitions and fragrances, such as '' L'eau d'Issey'', which became his best-known product. Life and career Miyake was born on 22 April 1938 in Hirosh ...

and Yves Saint Laurent.

Awards and honors

In 2015, JW Anderson under Jonathan Anderson became the first brand to win both Menswear Designer of The Year and Womenswear Designer of the Year awards at

Collaborations

(2012 and 2013) * Versus Versace (2013) * Uniqlo (2017–) *

Converse Converse may refer to: Mathematics and logic * Converse (logic), the result of reversing the two parts of a definite or implicational statement ** Converse implication, the converse of a material implication ** Converse nonimplication, a logical c ...

(2017)

References

External links

* {{authority control 2008 establishments in England British fashion designers Clothing brands of the United Kingdom LVMH brands