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The Runway Is Jonathan Anderson’s Laboratory

For his latest JW Anderson show, the designer continued to experiment with materials and shapes.
Published: September 19, 2024
The Runway Is Jonathan Anderson’s Laboratory
Photo: Launchmetrics

At both his namesake line and his creative director post at LoeweJonathan Anderson is an experimenter by nature, pushing the boundaries of what clothes can look like, from exaggerated panniers to shoes covered in burst balloons. Sometimes it seems as though his designs are operating in four dimensions, with the perpetual-motion quality of a Futurist painting. For the JW Anderson spring/summer 2025 collection, the designer applied his skill with advanced geometry to exaggeratedly flared skirts, spherical silhouettes, and even creations that consisted of tesseract-like strips of fabric spliced together.

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The Runway Is Jonathan Anderson’s Laboratory
Photo: Launchmetrics

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He also experimented with materials, challenging himself to see how different he could make looks created from the same leather or cashmere appear. The devil was in the details as slick Space Age-style minis were sprayed with sequins, while a slip dress sported delicate lace trim. In Anderson’s hands, something as familiar as a chunky sweater vest could feel avant-garde: one version sported petal-like loops of fabric. Even that currently trending staple, the barn jacket, was tweaked with a satiny finish and asymmetric lapels. And as is to be expected from one of his collections, the accessories were standouts, including ankle boots with a sharp, skate-ramp tilt and slouchy top-handle bags.

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The designer’s intellectual sensibilities could be seen in prints using the text of “Art,” the 1914 essay by Clive Bell, which argues that the intellectual and the aesthetic are distinct domains. But Anderson’s left-brained-meets-right-brained work might just be the best rebuttal to that idea.

This article was first seen on ELLE US.

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