A First Look At JW Anderson's New Collection, Available On Net-A-Porter Straight After The Show

Jonathan Anderson is, famously, one of fashion’s most prolific designers: this year alone, between his namesake JW brand, his creative direction for Loewe, and various collaborations, he has created a staggering 21 collections. The sheer breadth of that output means that, rather than cutting it close to the wire, he works on each six to eight months in advance. “I feel I need that time to breathe with [a] collection,” he says, explaining that his preparedness means he is well-positioned to launch a preview of the new season with a see-now-buy-now collection available through Net-A-Porter.

Debuting on his Spring/Summer 2019 runway this Saturday, Anderson explains that the complete collection – capsule and all – has taken inspiration from the British Aestheticism movement: its founding tenet of “art for art’s sake” and celebration of beauty above all else. During a period where politics are wreaking havoc in the world, and plenty of designers are reflecting the ensuing panic in their collections, his is an escapist form of expression, one seemingly liberated from the strictures of fashion scheduling (the idea of buying a SS19 collection in September 2018 still requires some mental, and temporal, gymnastics). “I like that in Britain, in the British aesthetics, there are things which have irony, humour,” says Anderson. “Sometimes things we cannot explain – and, to me, that is very relevant within fashion. Fashion is always reflective of its socio-political times and, with social media today, I guess there has been a return to that search for beauty.”

Accordingly, the work of Arts and Crafts pioneers Christopher Dresser and E. W. Godwin are printed across garments, intricately-wrought florals translated into flowing skirts or fluid dresses; the androgynous modernity of Gluck is reflected in elongated tailoring and boyish silhouettes. Over recent seasons, Anderson has embraced a gentler sensibility than in his early years – “I feel that I have become more at one with what I do” he explains – and here the loose cuts, pretty prints and elegant drapery pay tribute to that development. Plus, “I wanted to find something which was about this idea of really looking outside where we are, how we got there,” he says. “When you look at those prints, they could have been designed 100, 400 years ago – but there is a modernity which is still applicable to today. I always like to take things from the past and reconnect them with today’s world.”

While plenty of other designers have played with the see-now-buy-now format, most eschewing their efforts due to its slightly perplexing timings and the overwhelming workload that ensues, Anderson explains that he is introducing it this season based on the fact that “for me, it is always about how we work out new ways to be able to try to deal with the media scene, and you know… have fun with fashion.” If anyone is able to navigate a tricky scheduling situation and make it work, it’s him. Plus, Anderson has long proven himself something of a commercial savant, and the media spotlight given to a runway collection make quick-fire sales an easy win. Looking at some of these pieces now, we don’t even want to wait until Saturday. Let’s see how it pans out.