Jonathan Anderson To Head Fashion Jury at Hyères Festival

Jonathan Anderson, creative director of both Loewe and his own brand JW Anderson, is to preside over the fashion jury of the 35th edition of the Hyères International Festival of Fashion and Photography, set to take place from April 23rd to 27th. It’s the first time an Irish designer is chosen for the position. “I hadn’t really thought about that, but that does make it exciting,” laughed Anderson, who will be attending the Hyères festival, which is located in the South of France, for the first time.

“I’ve been following what has been going on at Hyères over the years,” he told WWD. “It has really become an iconic festival for young talent, and it’s fun to get involved and see how I can help. Also, everybody always seems to have a great time there, the landscape and setting are so beautiful.” Anderson is no stranger to talent competitions. The designer, who created his own brand in 2008 and joined Loewe in 2013, created the Loewe Craft Prize in 2016 and is one of the jury members of the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers, which has helped spotlight talent such as Marine Serre and Grace Wales Bonner.

“It’s a big honor to have been chosen for Hyères, but also a responsibility as part of the industry; we have to look out for the next generation,” he said. “New talent must come up continually in order for fashion to survive.” To pick his jury, the 35-year-old fashion designer asked himself a simple question: “Whose opinion do I trust? The people I’ve chosen for Hyères are people I have worked with for various projects and who I deeply trust, like a fashion family.”

It includes Amanda Harlech; model Kaia Gerber; photographer Tyler Mitchell; sound designer Michel Gaubert; actor Arnaud Valois of “120BPM” fame; stylist and creative consultant Benjamin Bruno, who works on Loewe campaigns with Anderson, including the brand’s latest one featuring Megan Rapinoe; creative director Ronnie Cooke Newhouse; journalists Tim Blanks and Derek Blasberg; editor in chief of Vogue Hommes International Olivier Lalanne, and fashion designer Christoph Rumpf, who won last year’s Grand Prize at Hyères.

“These are all people I go to for advice,” Anderson said of his jury. “For example, Amanda and I have been friends for a very long time, she has supported me from my very first collections. She’s always there at the frontline of all of my shows.” The names of the 10 fashion finalists will be unveiled on Wednesday evening during a cocktail held in Paris to celebrate the fashion festival’s 35th edition, where the finalists for the festival’s photography and accessories prize will also be announced.

“It was interesting for me to go through the finalists with the jury, because it really gave me an idea of what the industry as a whole is looking for,” said Anderson, who said he was on the lookout for “people with a distinct, defined viewpoint.” The fashion designer will also be organizing an exhibition at the Villa Noailles, where the festival is held, focusing on his work both at Loewe and JW Anderson. “It will be a look back at the work I have done for both houses, men’s and women’s, in the last 12 years,” he said.

Founded and headed by Jean-Pierre Blanc, the festival has been a launchpad for many fashion designers, including Paco Rabanne’s Julien Dossena, Viktor & Rolf, Anthony Vaccarello and most recently Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh, who were named creative directors of Nina Ricci mere months after winning Hyères and reaching the final stage of the LVMH Prize. Photographer Paolo Roversi will head the jury for the festival’s photography prize, while Hubert Barrère, artistic director of Chanel Métiers d’Art house Maison Lesage, will take the lead for the accessories prize, sponsored by Swarovski and now in its fourth year.

The accessories jury will include actors Nicolas Maury (“Call My Agent”) and Joana Preiss; gallery owner Magda Danysz; Vogue Paris journalist Eugénie Trochu; accessories designer Yaz Bukey; creative director of M Le Monde magazine Jean-Baptiste Talbourdet; dancer and choreographer Blanca Li; influencer Monica Ainley, and last year’s winner Noélia Morales. For the photography prize, Roversi tapped Adrian Joffe, president of Comme des Garçons International and ceo of Dover Street Market; retailer Carla Sozzani; Priscilla Royer, art director of Maison Michel; Jérôme Gautier, director of publishing for Christian Dior; Simon Bainbridge, editorial director of the British Journal of Photography; Chiara Bardelli Nonino, photo editor for Vogue Italia and L’Uomo Vogue; philosopher Emanuele Coccia; stylist Ibrahim Kamara; photographer Petra Sedlaczek, and last year’s winner Alice Mann.