Jonathan Anderson: A New Era for Dior
By Georgia McPoland
Jonathan Anderson has been appointed as Creative Director for the Men’s, Women’s and Haute Couture collections at Dior. He is the first designer to be the sole Creative Director of all three sectors of the brand since Christian Dior himself.
Anderson was referred to as “one of the creative talents of his generation” by Bernard Arnault, chief executive of Louis Vuitton Möet Hennessy (LVMH), the conglomerate that took control of the French fashion house in 2017. This is a highly unusual move from LVMH, as it was previously presumed that no single designer could handle the pressure of creating 10 separate collections a year for the multi-billion-dollar brand.
So, why Jonathan Anderson?
Born in Magherafelt, Anderson traces his forcefulness and devotion to his craft to growing up in 1990’s Derry. In an interview he stated that growing up in that environment toughened him up. “I don’t take anything for granted because I know that life is like a fuse.”
Anderson originally wanted to be an actor, and studied at the Julliard School in New York where he became intrigued by costume design. It was in Dublin where he fell in love with fashion, having blagged his way into his first job in the industry at Brown Thomas. He was rejected from every fashion college he could find, before being accepted onto a menswear course at the College of Fashion in London in 2005.
Anderson’s career was not always one of renowned acclaim, but one of risk. In 2008 he launched his own brand, JW Anderson. His first collection made its debut at an off-schedule show during London Fashion Week, which received a lot of negative press. This was due to the show’s exploration of gender fluidity, where his designs of lace shirts for male models were highly scrutinized. He revealed that the reviews for the show were so terrible, he considered giving up a career in fashion altogether. However, what was deemed by many as an outrageous misstep became a landmark in fashion history, with one YouTube commenter remarking that “they weren’t ready for this in 2008.” Less than eight years later Burberry made lace shirts a key element of their menswear collection at their 2015 catwalk show.
Anderson has been a part of LVMH since 2013, serving as Creative Director for Spanish brand Loewe. In an interview with the Guardian in 2015, he stated his vision for Loewe was to “take a brand that operates in a luxury environment, and make it about culture. Make it a brand that articulates the period I am in now.” Anderson did just that. Over 11 years he transformed the brand from irrelevant to illustrious, making the once small leather goods house one of the biggest names in fashion. What makes Anderson unique is his constant striving for each collection to be more innovative than the last. His capability to remodel a brand image knows no bounds with such exponential levels of creativity.
By 2019, he created 18 different collections each year; six for his own label, ten for Loewe and two for Uniqlo. This displays his capability to consistently produce a high volume of new ideas across a variety of brands – perhaps one of the reasons that Dior and LVMH chose to break their pattern of splitting up the sectors of the brand between designers.
Anderson’s stage is not only limited to the runway. He designed Rihanna’s iconic red outfit for the Super Bowl halftime show, which she used to announce her pregnancy. He also served as a costume designer for Luca Guadagnino’s Queer and Challengers. His capability to captivate audiences in a variety of attire arenas is yet another reason that this unconventional decision by LVMH is so unsurprising and well-earned.
Anderson’s first show was one of the most highly anticipated menswear shows of the fashion season, and it did not disappoint. The designer’s Dior debut showed off subtle nods to his Irish heritage, with the opening piece being a dark green blazer of Donegal tweed. The show concluded with a standing ovation for Anderson, whose Dior days are only just beginning.
Sources:
Cartner-Morley, Jess. “JW Anderson: ‘The Minute Your Brand Can Be Predicted, You’ve Got a Problem.’” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 3 Sept. 2015, www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/sep/03/jw-anderson-loewe-interview.
Friedman, Vanessa. “Jonathan Anderson’s Hire Makes History at Dior – The New York Times.” The New York Times, 2 June 2025, www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/style/jonathan-anderson-dior.html.
“J.W. Anderson Spring/Summer 2008.” YouTube, YouTube, 9 Jan. 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohAJjUxnuO8
Laia Garcia-Furtado, José Criales-Unzueta. “Jonathan Anderson’s Loewe Was a Story of Contradictions.” Vogue Business, 17 Mar. 2025, www.voguebusiness.com/story/fashion/jonathan-andersons-loewe-was-a-story-of-contradictions.
McQuillan, Deirdre. “‘Forget about Glamour’: Jonathan Anderson Offers Advice to Would-Be Fashion Designers as He Receives TCD Honour.” The Irish Times, The Irish Times, 25 Apr. 2025, www.irishtimes.com/life-style/fashion/2025/04/25/forget-about-glamour-jonathan-anderson-offers-advice-to-would-be-fashion-designers/.
Paton, Elizabeth. “LVMH to Take Control of Christian Dior in $13.1 Billion Deal – The New York Times.” The New York Times, 25 Apr. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/04/25/business/dealbook/lvmh-arnault-christian-dior.html.
Ryan, Charlotte. “Jonathan Anderson Presents First Dior Collection to Bevy of Stars.” RTE.Ie, RTÉ, 27 June 2025, www.rte.ie/lifestyle/fashion/2025/0627/1520682-jonathan-anderson-presents-first-dior-collection-to-bevy-of-stars/.
