SS27 – Design & Culture by Ed

JW Anderson opens the spring-summer 2027 season with a cast brimming with character and charisma – while keeping the clothes firmly in familiar territory. More than a year ago, Jonathan Anderson very deliberately repositioned his London-based namesake label, a move that made perfect sense once his biggest job shifted to Paris at Dior. Gone are the runway spectacles; in their place come carefully crafted lookbooks starring friends of the brand, dressed in the signatures you can find year-round in JW Anderson’s meticulously curated boutiques. Craft – unmistakably British craft – remains the central pillar. At this rate, the label could soon become the new Barbour or even Burberry, albeit with a sharper sense of humor and considerably cooler company. In other words: the next great British brand. Donegal wool knits bloom with wildflowers and ferns, while the house’s signature knitwear references the image of a traditional Irish cottage. The ever-present squirrel motif traces its origins to a Scottish Fair Isle pattern from Sanquhar, and a striking red coat with a matching scarf emerges from a collaboration with Johnstons of Elgin (arguably the source of the finest cashmere in the world – sorry, Italians!). Throughout the collection, Anderson playfully weaves together folk textiles, domestic objects, and rural craftsmanship, recontextualising them through a joyful cast that includes Dree Hemingway, Isaac Cole Powell, Camille B. Waddington, Sophie Okonedo, and more than a touch of flamboyant mischief.