JONATHAN ANDERSON'S DIOR
What can we expect when the cult designer takes over the storied Parisian maison?
Years ago, Jonathan Anderson spoke to reporters lamenting the future state of fashion’s biggest brands – Prada, Armani, Chanel, and the like. “Who is there?” he asked, inquiring about those among the younger generations who possessed the talent, drive and logistical wherewithal to take the helm of the industry’s mightiest, most sprawling institutions. The instinct to have the scenario top of mind demonstrated a prescience that has long set Anderson apart from his peers. He is a creature of palpable ambition who has put himself through some of fashion’s most rigorous tests to prepare for a rarefied kind of career ascension, one that could see the 40-year-old become one of the industry’s legendary kings. Though the news has not been formally announced, it is possibly the worst-kept secret in the business that Anderson will be taking over Christian Dior in short order, a label that is possibly the most cherished feather in Bernard Arnault’s cap. So what does Anderson’s design past suggest about his design future, and what pitfalls await this most nimble creative?
One of Anderson’s greatest strengths as someone working in the current system is his understanding of fashion as Big Business. It’s critical to remember that before the mid-90s, even fashion’s largest historic brands were tiny compared to what they are now. Bernard Arnault and François Pinault gobbled up what they could to form their respective luxury groups and watched as most of the labels under their umbrellas ballooned to unprecedented levels. The designers they appointed during that period (Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen) all became household names. And all succumbed either temporarily or permanently to the immense pressure they faced. They were riding the elevator to the top, not knowing just how high it would go – and got put through the wood chipper in the process. Anderson has the benefit of hindsight. From a bevy of well-organized assistants and associates to three different cell phones (one for Loewe, one for JW Anderson, and one strictly for personal use), his sense for optimization has allowed him to costume design two feature films (Challengers, Queer) while also designing two different ready-to-wear brands. These feats could give Karl Lagerfeld’s renowned work capacity a run for its money.
Such well-honed coordination will be more than necessary at Dior. Anderson will be the first designer in the brand's modern incarnation to design both men’s and women’s. This means he’ll be responsible for at least eight runway presentations for Dior alone, in addition to those held for his namesake label. While the thought of that volume is eye-watering, it’s not what I believe to be the biggest challenge Anderson will have to engineer his way around.
JW ANDERSON
LOEWE
Anderson knows that so much of what drives revenues for fashion houses is accessories (don’t you get the ick when someone mentions that as if it’s new information?), and he’s created more than a few rockstar leather goods for Loewe alone. Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior’s current head of womenswear, was a controversial figure from the start of her tenure who received generally mixed reviews for her work. Even so, she managed to grow the business from just over $43 billion in 2016 to a reported $93.86 billion by the end of 2023. This was largely managed through small goods bearing the Dior name, such as elaborately woven tote bags and slingbacks with branded ribbon detail. But as a well-known journalist reported in her newsletter, a recent visit to the otherwise bustling Paris flagship revealed an empty apparel department. Grazia Chiuri’s clothes never did work well. It’s highly possible that they could also prove to be Anderson’s biggest hurdle.
Anderson is good at making clever clothes. That is, clothing with a surrealist bent and a witty sensibility. Fine. Yet as talked about as his runway shows tend to be, I’ve never found the clothes themselves to be desirable propositions, their intellectual references notwithstanding. It isn’t unique these days, but I’d bet the majority of clothing sales from either Loewe or JW Anderson stem from the chunky knits, oversized tees, and distressed denim Anderson successfully iterates on. Beyond that, when it comes to the clothes, there has been very little distinction between what Anderson presents for either brand. The silhouettes and general concepts are largely interchangeable. One can hardly be blamed given the output required to keep both businesses running. The same was often true of Marc Jacobs’ collections for his own brand and Louis Vuitton when he designed both simultaneously. Anderson will have to step out of his comfort zone to make clothes like he never has. The success of his Dior depends on it more than many realize. Whether he’s capable remains unclear.
For Dior, the design brief is entirely outside Anderon’s normal sphere given the brand’s romantic, hyper-feminine origins. To up the stakes, Dior is one of the biggest couture houses still standing with a baked-in client base of the world’s most exacting women. A hoodie isn’t going to cut it. Thankfully, Loewe demonstrated how deeply Anderson appreciates craft. Though apparent in the Spanish brand’s main line, his affinity for specialty techniques and luxe materials shone through in the brand’s custom work, as seen in a dress worn by Nicole Kidman with a sculpted mother-of-pearl bodice. That example and several other red carpet projects reveal a softer side of Anderson’s aesthetic, one that is also more akin to Dior’s traditional mode of beauty. Anderson will have little time to learn proper command of its skilled workrooms, but if he can manage, the sky’s the limit. Whatever the case, the clothes need to be genuinely alluring – even if they don’t sell in great numbers – to establish his interpretation of the house and set the scene for everything put forth by his team.
Well said.🤲🏿
That’s a huge amount of work, to be designing both the men’s and women’s collections for Dior. I suspect he’ll either succeed spectacularly, or flame out (also spectacularly) after a few seasons.💕