Paris (AFP) – French fashion giant Dior named the highly-rated designer Jonathan Anderson as creative director of Dior Men on Thursday. Anderson, 40, quit Loewe last month after more than a decade in which he turned around the fortunes of the heritage Spanish brand. The Northern Irish designer — an influential tastemaker with many A-list fans — made the previously rather sleepy label, best known for its handbags, hot.
Fashion mogul Bernard Arnault, whose LVMH conglomerate owns both Dior and Loewe, broke the news at a shareholders meeting in Paris. “I can tell you that the next Christian Dior men’s fashion show, which will take place in June (in Paris), will be created by Jonathan Anderson,” he said. There had been much speculation that Anderson, renowned for his creative flights of fancy, might take over both Dior’s men’s and women’s collections, which some observers had seen as needing fresh impetus.
Dior womenswear designer Maria Grazia Chiuri has presided over years of growth since taking over from Raf Simons in 2016, with her modernisation and feminist activism helping attract new customers. Revenues are estimated to have more than tripled on the Italian’s watch. Anderson replaces British designer Kim Jones at Dior Men. He stepped down at the end of January after seven years, also with a strong commercial track record, having introduced a younger streetwear-influenced look to the classic looks of the label.
But Anderson’s arrival comes at a time when the luxury industry as a whole is facing increasingly tricky market conditions, with a slowdown in China and an escalating global trade war causing concern. The move is part of a major reshuffling of top jobs at fashion brands after a round of resignations and forced departures. A long list of labels are either bedding in new designers or looking for fresh talent including Chanel, Celine, Fendi, Givenchy, Gucci, Dries Van Noten and Tom Ford.
The success of Dior’s clothing and leather goods division is of crucial financial and dynastic importance to LVMH owner Arnault, one of the world’s wealthiest men. He placed his daughter Delphine in charge of Dior Couture in February 2023. Anderson, the son of former Irish rugby international Willie Anderson, is known as a low-key figure, who often appears dressed casually at the end of his shows. He trained at the London College of Fashion and began his career in Prada’s marketing department before launching his own brand, JW Anderson, in 2008. During his time at Loewe, he launched a new modern classic bag — the Puzzle — and dressed celebrities from Beyoncé to Rihanna.
© 2024 AFP
