Jonathan Anderson Heads to Dior Men
After months of insider speculation, LVMH hired from within for its latest major appointment. Jonathan Anderson, the Northern Irish designer who has headed up Loewe since 2013, is now headed to Dior as the house’s artistic director for Dior Men, succeeding Kim Jones. LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault confirmed the news in a shareholders meeting on Thursday. No remarks were made regarding Anderson’s rumored womenswear appointment.
Born in the town of Magherafelt in Northern Ireland, Anderson grew up splitting his time between the Emerald Isle and Ibiza, both of which would go on to influence his aesthetic. After graduating from the London College of Fashion, he burst onto the fashion scene with his namesake line JW Anderson, winning the Emerging Talent–Ready to Wear prize from the British Fashion Council in 2012. He collaborated with Topshop and was tapped by Donatella Versace to guest design for Versus.
In his decade-plus at Loewe, Anderson pushed boundaries, creating collections that were both abstract and playful—and that, in the case of items like his balloon shoes, often went viral. Meanwhile, the puzzle bag catapulted the leather brand back into mainstream popularity and became an integral design to house codes. As his friend, the model and actress Hari Nef, told us in a 2023 ELLE profile of the designer, his clothes “anticipate an appetite.”
In 2016, he created the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize to showcase the house’s support for artisans of all stripes. He has also moonlighted as a costume designer, creating the influential looks for his friend Luca Guadagnino’s films Challengers and Queer.
Jonathan Anderson
Anderson is set to reveal his first collection on the runway this June during Men’s Fashion Week in Paris, separating himself from a flurry of September debuts including Glenn Martens at Maison Margiela, Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta, and Matthieu Blazy at Chanel. As for Loewe, the brand announced Proenza Schouler co-founders and designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez to succeed Anderson.