Wind of Change: Jonathan W. Anderson is About to Leave Loewe

The game of fashion musical chairs goes on! After the major announcements of the end of the year - with Matthieu Blazy leaving Bottega Veneta for Chanel, and Louise Trotter partying ways with Carven to take over Bottega Veneta, now we have a new round of fashion moves around the corner. According to multiple sources in the industry, after 12 years of successfully leading Loewe to become the hottest brand of the Parisian Fashion Week, Jonathan Anderson is about to take the post of creative director at Dior, opening a new chapter for the storied French Maison.  

The news sounds more than exciting. Though we love and will definitely miss Loewe for their intellectual approach to luxury (Anderson’s show notes always have a philosophical touch to them), it seems like JWA is ready to take on a new role. During the last twelve years at the helm of Loewe, he has proved that his vision of fashion can bring a historical leather accessories house to the forefront of the industry, proposing not only best-selling bags (think, Puzzle, Flamenco, Gate and Hammock, to name a few) but also avant-garde ready-to-wear, putting into the spotlight what the House’s artisans can do with their unique leather techniques and turning Loewe into one of the most successful and desirable LVMH fashion brands. This makes Anderson the perfect choice for Dior, a couture house that needs a creative head who knows how to work with the most precious savoir-faires and bring in new clients in search of iconic yet desirable pieces.

What is more, the 40-year-old Northern Irish designer, who started his career as a menswear designer, might be replacing both Maria Grazia Chuiri, who is currently in charge of womenswear, and Kim Jones, who is heading Dior Men, becoming the first Dior designer to lead both departments. If the rumours are true that means that next week, we are going to see the very last Kim Jones’ show for Dior Men.

The “Anderson going to Dior” rumours first broke the Internet when the industry insider Astrid Wendlandt published a post about Jonathan Anderson’s career move on her news platform Miss Tweed back in October, and sparked with new force this week, after the official announcement that the founders of Proenza Schouler Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez are leaving the creative direction of their own brand. And though it has not been confirmed yet, industry insiders have been whispering for weeks that the American creative duo has signed a contract with LVMH group to take on the creative direction of Loewe after Anderson’s departure. What are other signs that Jonathan is leaving Loewe? He cancelled not only his Loewe menswear show which was supposed to be the highlight of January menswear week in Paris, but also his JWA menswear show in Milan and womenswear show in London, which is one of the major events of the London Fashion Week. Filled mainly with emerging designers and just one British fashion powerhouse Burberry, JWA shows are always one of the most sought-after tickets of the LFW, bringing to the UK some of the top editors from the US and Continental Europe.

If we add to these facts, that Jonathan Anderson also looked deeply emotional after his last womenswear show back in October at Paris Fashion Week, as if he was about to cry, it seems only natural that he is about to take a life-changing decision. As we can’t wait for the official announcement, we can only imagine what a fashion year 2025 will be with the debut collections of Matthieu Blazy for Chanel (he is supposed to show his very first designs for the coveted fashion house in October), and Jonathan W Anderson for Dior: avant-garde, with deep respect to the house’s codes, heritage and artisans and constant pokes to culture and contemporary arts. What an incredible time to be alive and witness fashion history happening in front of our eyes.

Text: Lidia Ageeva