As he steps in as an honorary chair for this year's Met Gala - fashion's biggest night of the year - here is Victoria G. L. Brunton's introduction to Jonathan Anderson, a Derry designer taking over the world of fashion.
Jonathan Anderson, the Northern Irish designer who recently went viral for wearing an Irish rugby jersey to close his Milan Fashion Week show, has certainly had a year to celebrate.
As well as leading his eponymous brand, J. W. Anderson, the designer sits at the helm of esteemed Spanish label Loewe.
Since his appointment, for the first time in the brand's history, it has secured the top spot on Lyst’s 'Hottest Brand’ in the second quarter of 2023.
An unsurprising win, given its A-list fan base includes celebrities like Rihanna, Zendaya and Sofia Richie. Tonight, the designer becomes one of the esteemed honorary chairs for the Met Gala 2024, alongside Shou Chew, chief executive officer of TikTok, and Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, Zendaya and Chris Hemsworth as co-chairs.
His recent Spring/Summer 2024 showing at London Fashion Week presented a collection of looks bursting with feathers, ballooning silhouettes cut from shiny vinyl and rigid, freshly moulded outlines of hoodie-short sets sculpted from plasticine.
Since his debut, just about every fashion publication has put in their two cents in on the designer.
Vogue describes the Jonathan Anderson trademark as "a highly likeable leitmotif to transform our perception through design in order to turn the banal into the bold, the plain into the peculiar, and the ordinary into the extra." While Hypebeast praised the designer, insisting that he "completely shut down The Roundhouse venue."
To top his most recent list of achievements off, just last week the 2023 Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) named Jonathan Anderson as their International Designer of the Year.
So, how did a Northern Irish lad from Magherafelt find such success in the fashion industry? In short: an obscene amount of talent, relentless drive, and fearless creativity.
The long story begins where all Ireland's fashion industry hopefuls start off: Brown Thomas. (Let the records show that this is intended as a joke, but it's one that often turns out to be true).
After his mandatory stint in BT, the designer moved on to study at London College of Fashion, graduating in 2005.
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Anderson began his professional career as a visual merchandiser for Prada under Manuela Pavesi, who the designer helped to ignite his fashion career.
Just a couple of years later, the J. W. Anderson brand was launched. In the two years following, the British Fashion Council sponsored his eponymous label, and the Derry man presented his first show at London Fashion Week in 2010.
In 2017, he made history when he became the first individual to be awarded both Womenswear and Menswear Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.
Since then, the designer has gone from strength to strength, winning multiple awards and collaborating with world-renowned brands. From a NewGen sponsorship that saw his namesake label collaborate with TOPSHOP at the brand's peak, to replacing Christopher Kane at the helm at Versus Versace.
In 2013, Anderson was named as creative director in of Loewe, a major luxury house that has been around since 1846. Since taking the helm, the brand's website claims that he has spearheaded a major rejuvenation of the house, leading them to be an "influential and global cultural force".
This year, though, has seen Anderson truly hit his stride.
As well as being named as CFDA's International Designer of the Year, the Derry man made headlines across the globe thanks to some incredibly high-profile projects.
In February, Anderson had the privilege of designing the red hot outfit for Rihanna's hotly-anticipated Super Bowl half-time show - an experience that he described as being "a wild, wonderful dream."
Then, in August, the stylish creative announced another high-profile project, collaborating with former tennis player Roger Federer for a nine-piece collection with Uniqlo.
Bouncing from creating moulded breastplates for a Barbadian pop icon, to designing a unisex collection with a gender-fluid aesthetic - all within one year, mind you - is an example of just how impressive Anderson's breadth of work is.
Jonathan Anderson is an inspiration to anyone who hopes to succeed in their field by unapologetically following their own creative direction.
As well as serving as a success story within the high-pressure world of fashion, the designer is specifically inspiring to Irish creatives - particularly those feeling burnout, suffering from lack of opportunity, or feeling as though their goals are beyond the realm of possibility.
We can't wait to see where he goes next.
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