Meet the Winner: Jonathan Anderson

Since 2008, Jonathan Anderson has been on a stellar path, first with the debut of his menswear collection, then as Creative Director of LOEWE, where his powerful narratives and idiosyncratic approach to design helped revitalise this classic heritage brand. After receiving multiple awards, he turned his attention to Christian Dior, where he was announced as Creative Director in 2025. A formidable work ethic also led to collaborations with Uniqlo and Moncler, alongside his own eponymous brand, JW Anderson. He currently produces numerous collections a year. ‘I always look for a bit of creative friction,’ he says.

If that wasn’t enough, Anderson’s contribution to design extends well beyond fashion; he has long been a supporter of craft and art, deftly weaving elements of both into his collections and store interiors. In 2016 he founded the highly influential LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize, the world’s first international award for contemporary craft. An avid collector himself, his stores see his collections interspersed by paintings, sculpture and furniture. His passion for ceramics led to a recent collaboration with Wedgwood, showcasing previously unseen pieces by Lucie Rie.

Anderson’s engagement with broader notions of design has taken other forms too: notably his curation of Disobedient Bodies, an exhibition at The Hepworth Wakefield, and On Foot, an exhibition at the Offer Waterman gallery in London. The JW Anderson Collections Fund has been set up to acquire works by artists who are under-represented in UK collections. Oh, and he has been appointed to the Board of Trustees at the V&A. Anderson has a particularly strong affinity with London as a centre for the arts; ‘It doesn’t compartmentalise inspiration, it lets everything bleed together. It’s that exact blend of the mundane, the historical, and the aggressively modern that makes London entirely unique,’ he says.

Anderson is first and foremost a storyteller; his work is crammed with intellectual and artistic references, but these are worn lightly and often feel personal and playful. It is this perspective that has earned his work such devotion. Much of his success he puts down to ‘My curiosity and my willingness to take risks, I’ve always held on to that.’ That appetite for risk has never been more evident in his latest role at Dior. This is the first time in the label’s history that one designer has overseen both men’s and womenswear, a monumental task that further cements his status as one of the biggest names in fashion. When asked about his plans for the future, his answer is simple: ‘I want to always stay curious in the search for something new.’

Words by Tamsin Kingswell