Wearable Avant-Garde: JW Anderson for Men
Since he launched his first men’s collection in 2008 with his label JW Anderson, there’s no escaping young Northern Irish designer Anderson. The celebrated rising star has not only cleaned up at several fashion awards, but also keeps collaborating with other labels. And, if that wasn't impressive enough, he has also been creative director of Spanish luxury brand Loewe for several years. How does he do it? With designs that turn conventional ideas of shape and gender on their head and put them into new contexts. They break boundaries in a way that still manages to be surprising even against the sensational backdrop of a fashion show. He was way ahead of his time when, in 2014, he had men walk the runway in lace tops. His sometimes avant-garde experiments have resulted in extraordinary, yet wearable statement pieces. He also gives classic knit jumpers unusual patterns, motifs and cuts that sometimes require a second look to check if you’ve seen correctly. Shirts look as if they have been taken apart and put back together, but their edginess never seems contrived. The label’s signature anchor logo appears again and again on sweatshirts, trousers, bags, shirts, T-shirts and caps.
Who is JW Anderson?
Jonathan Anderson studied at the London College of Fashion, following a stint in New York. His ambition to become an actor in Washington, D.C., gave way to a passion for theatre costume design – an important diversion on his path to self-discovery. He designed shop windows for Prada before starting his own label. Since then, he seems to have had no trouble delighting the fashion world with his designs and keeping numerous balls – or rather, collections – in the air. His designs are defined and influenced by the contrast between his then conflict-ridden homeland of Northern Ireland and childhood holidays in Ibiza, sporting ambition and a free-spirited philosophy. Discover the exclusive selection of styles by JW Anderson in the BRAUN Hamburg online shop.