J.W. Anderson

The autumn-winter 2016 collection delivered by J.W. Anderson is a playful continuation of the designer’s spring collection and pre-fall look-book – and it proves that Jonathan Anderson wants to have fun with fashion, too. “I love fashion! It should be fashion” is what he declared backstage of his London fashion show, perfectly stating the nature of the new season – there was something about the 60’s, looking at the mini-skirts with curvy, leather cut-outs and multi-colour ruffles. There was a sense of softness in these fluffy “clouds”, while the fur hoodies were like a Anderson-revisited nod to hip-hop music. Yet, the chain mail-like studs had you wondering about the much more harsh, punk side of the designer, which we’ve experienced in his last menswear outing. The collection didn’t have a one, straight line of references or inspirations, however it had a humorous, Pierre Cardin-ish outer space character. To conclude, these voluminous, edgy clothes made it clear – Jonathan is taking us to his playground.

Jonathan Anderson takes his brand, and his creative vision, to a totally undiscovered and widely misunderstood field. You can love it, hate it, ignore it or praise it – but still, J.W. Anderson is the most absorbing brand coming from London. The city buzzed about the menswear show for autumn-winter 2016 season a long time before the show-day – it was reported that the brand will live-stream the fashion show on a dating-app, Grindr, presenting the show within a few seconds to about seven million people. Just like that. Without much effort.

Maybe the PR of Anderson are genius – but surely, the brand knows how to excite in the media sphere. However, streaming the collection on a dating app is not such a strange idea. The codes of the brand are focused on “future”, and “perversity” – somehow, a dating app is all about sex and modern way of life, right? And the collection for men definitely didn’t lack any of those. The looks, which fused the everyday basics, like a chunky cardigan or a simple, British mackintosh coat, had something modernistic about them – new, over-sized silhouettes, high-tech fabrics (take a look at this transparent, organza-like piece, printed with a dog called Bonzo from the 20s) and the seriously ugly planet-Zenon trainers with pastel-pink toe. But still, these techno vamps had something to do with a perverse, clubbing manner – the models’ hair, which was held back, looked dirty from a hard night out. Some wore perspex chokers, modestly ornamented with silver studs – and some had those cheesy hoop ball earrings on. To make even more extraordinary, one look was focused on a camel coat, worn over a naked body, and a pair of, again, Zenon shoes.

But looking back at the animals in the collection – everybody noticed the turquoise snails, which were lazily stuck to a rabbit-fur jacket and a white pea-coat. Was Jonathan trying to convey a message? SLOW DOWN? The frustration of fashion’s speed, which made Alber and Raf say “bye” to Lanvin and Dior, is a struggle for most of young designers, as they need to be creative for 24/7, do their best to afford pre-collections and have a perfect, on-time stock for the retailers. Or maybe, Anderson ironically said “catch me if you can” to all the others in the industry? This guy is a real propeller of ideas, so why not show it off in the most bright and bold aspect of the collection?