Jonathan Anderson (fashion Designer)
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Jonathan William Anderson (born 17 September 1984) is a Northern Irish fashion designer and the founder of
JW Anderson JW Anderson is a UK fashion label, founded by Jonathan Anderson. Anderson, who is originally from Magherafelt in Northern Ireland established JW Anderson in 2008 and subsequently launched his fashion house in London. The brand initially focused ...
. Anderson is known for his eponymous label and having served as the creative director of Spanish luxury house Loewe. He has been the creative director of
Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer and founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Dior, Christian Dior SE. His fashion house is known all around the world, having gained promi ...
since 2025.


Early life

Anderson was born in the town of
Magherafelt Magherafelt ( ; , ) is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 9,071 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. It is the biggest town in the south of the county an ...
in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
in 1984. He is the son of Willie Anderson, who played international
rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...
for Ireland between 1984 and 1990. His mother Heather Buckley worked as a secondary school teacher. Anderson has a brother,
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who followed his father into professional rugby. Anderson grew up in Northern Ireland, but spent a lot of time on the Balearic island of
Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...
, where his parents owned a house. He has since said in interviews that the contrasting environments played a big role in shaping his sensibilities as a designer. When he was in primary school, he was diagnosed with severe dyslexia.Nancy Hass (19 August 2019)
The Man Turning European Fashion Into Something Raw and Real
 '' T: The New York Times Style Magazine''.
At the age of 18 Anderson moved to the United States to try become an actor. He was based in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
at the
Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...
, but developed an interest in
costume design Costume design is the process of selecting or creating clothing for a performers. A costume may be designed from scratch or may be designed by combining existing garments. "Costume" may also refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a ...
rather than acting. He moved to Dublin shortly after, securing his first fashion-based job at the department store
Brown Thomas Brown Thomas & Company Limited is a chain of five upmarket department stores in Ireland, with two located in Dublin, and one each in Cork, Galway, and Limerick. Together with Dublin's Arnotts department store, it is owned by the Selfridges G ...
. He later moved to London, graduating from the
London College of Fashion The London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art university in London, England. The college offers undergraduate and postgraduate study, short courses, study-abroad courses and business t ...
in 2005.


Career

Anderson began his career working as a visual merchandiser for
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 ...
, working for Manuela Pavesi. He launched his own menswear collection shortly after in 2008. His first collection under the
JW Anderson JW Anderson is a UK fashion label, founded by Jonathan Anderson. Anderson, who is originally from Magherafelt in Northern Ireland established JW Anderson in 2008 and subsequently launched his fashion house in London. The brand initially focused ...
label received critical acclaim. In 2010, Anderson received sponsorship from the
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 Women's wear and Men's wear showcases, London F ...
's Newton committee and subsequently produced his first catwalk collection at
London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London, England, twice a year, in June and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fash ...
. The rising success of his JW Anderson label allowed him to secure a second NewGen sponsorship and led to a collaboration with high-street retailer
Topshop TOPSHOP (originally Top Shop) is a British online fast-fashion retailer, which specialises in women's clothing, shoes and accessories. It is majority owned by Danish company, Bestseller. In 2024, ASOS sold 75% of Topshop and Topman to Bests ...
in 2012. The collaboration was a collection of limited-edition items, known as the JW Anderson x Topshop collection. It featured clothing and accessories ranging from mini-kilts and paisley prints, to Halloween motifs and included a range of stationery,
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cases and Rubik cubes. The collection sold out within hours of it launching. Anderson and Topshop scheduled another collaboration to launch a year later, with the release coming in February 2013. Later that year,
Donatella Versace Donatella Francesca Versace (; born 2 May 1955), sometimes simply referred to mononymously as Donatella, is an Italian fashion designer, businesswoman, socialite, and model. She is the sister of Gianni Versace, founder of the luxury fashion com ...
enlisted him to replace
Christopher Kane Christopher John Kane (born 26 July 1982) is a Scottish fashion designer based in London. Biography Kane was born as the youngest of five children in Newarthill, North Lanarkshire, to an engineer and draughtsman father and housewife mother. Ka ...
at
Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury elite fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as '' haute couture'' under it ...
's
diffusion line A diffusion line (also known as a bridge line) is a secondary line of merchandise created by a high-end fashion house or fashion designer that retails at lower prices. These ranges are separate from a fashion house's "signature line", or principal ...
Versus, where he showcased his first collection in June at New York's Lexington Armoury. In September 2013,
LVMH LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French multinational holding company and conglomerate that specializes in luxury goods and has its headquarters in Paris, France. The company was formed in 1987 through the ...
took a minority stake in JW Anderson and named Anderson as the new creative director for Spanish luxury house LOEWE. By 2019, he created 18 different collections each year — six for his own label, 10 for Loewe and two for his ongoing collaborations with
Uniqlo ( ; ) is a Japanese casual wear designer and retailer. The company is a subsidiary of Fast Retailing, Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. Clare Waight Keller is the creative director. History Men's Shop OS was founded in Ube, Yamaguchi. It was rebrand ...
. In 2019, he became a member of the board of trustees at the
Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
. In February 2023, Anderson designed singer
Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
's red outfit, which she used to announce her second pregnancy during her half-time
Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
performance. That same year Anderson served as costume designer for
Luca Guadagnino Luca Guadagnino (; born 10 August 1971) is an Italian film director and producer. His films are characterized by their emotional complexity, eroticism, and lavish visuals. Guadagnino has received numerous accolades, including a Silver Lion, alon ...
's ''
Queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
''. Anderson had previously worked with Guadagnino in 2022, during the production of his film '' Challengers''. His film work has led him to being signed by
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. After 11 years at LOEWE, Anderson stepped down as the house's creative director on 17 March 2025. On April 17th, ''
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...
'' announced his appointment as the artistic director of Dior menswear, succeeding Kim Jones, who stepped down earlier that January. He was appointed the creative director of the womenswear and couture collections in June 2025.


Personal life

Anderson is gay. He lives in Paris and London, with regular visits to LOEWE's Madrid headquarters. He also maintains a weekend home in
Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
. As of March 2025, he is in a relationship with Catalan artist Pol Anglada.


Awards and honors


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Jonathan 21st-century LGBTQ people from Northern Ireland 1984 births Gay men from Northern Ireland LGBTQ fashion designers Fashion designers from Northern Ireland Living people Menswear designers People from Magherafelt People with dyslexia Alumni of the London College of Fashion LVMH people Dior people