With cartoon prints, snail-shaped stickers and
speckled ermine coats, British designer Jonathan Anderson delivered on his
promise to put the “fantasy in fashion” as he presented his latest
collection
in London on Sunday.
The British capital’s fashion elite were up early to cram into the
military
building that provided the backdrop for the autumn-winter 2016 collection of
JW Anderson, the eponymous label set up by the 31-year-old in 2008.
The Northern Irishman is widely regarded as one of Britain’s brightest
fashion stars having made his name as the artistic director of Spanish
luxury
fashion house Loewe and scoring a double success at last year’s British
Fashion Awards for both his male and female collections.
“Wonder Boy”, as he has been nicknamed by the British press, lived up to
his billing as he showcased his innovative and uninhibited collection on
Sunday.
Showing off his knack for luxury, Anderson dazzled the gathered
fashionistas, buyers and journalists with a series of black ermine mantles,
flecked with red and blue.
They were followed by woollen trousers, asymmetrical jackets decorated
with
cartoon prints, coats with cloud-shaped pockets and metal necklaces.
“Today it was about telling an urban tale,” in a tech-driven world of
ever-decreasing distances, he told the press.
“It’s like how we live our lives, we go from one thing to another, its
about travelling, its about a journey, its about speed,” he added.
“It’s like falling into a club, falling into a Japanese garden and then
falling into a bank”.
On the evidence of Sunday’s show, Anderson’s disciples will soon be
strutting around in wide, aubergine-coloured suits made of silk, brightened
up
by irreverent snail-shaped stickers.
In winter, they will wrap up in loose-knit woollen sweaters that fall to
the knees.
The show was broadcast live on gay dating app Grindr, demonstrating the
designer’s innovative relationship with modern communication channels.
“For me it was like how could we reach like a 196 countries in one
moment,”
he said.
“We are in this moment where medias have changed, so we need to explore,
it’s quite amazing to be able to access seven million people at once.”
The male version of London Fashion Week has established a reputation for
harnessing radical designers, and British duo Sibling set the tone on
Saturday
with a bold collection inspired by boxing and 1980s pop culture.
Shows for the autumn-winter 2016 season began on Friday and will continue
until Monday.
Men’s Fashion Week will then up sticks and head for Milan and Paris
before
ending in New York. Edouard Guihaire, AFP
Photo: AFP