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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
The normal bloke from Derry - who became the head of Christian Dior: Fashion house's latest creative director Jonathan Anderson is the son of a rugby player and school teacher and grew up shopping at TK Maxx
Christian Dior's latest creative director is from a rugby-loving family from Northern Ireland, failed his 11-plus and spent his childhood indulging in shopping at TK Maxx. But now Jonathan Anderson, who has rubbed shoulders with the fashion world's most celebrated figures, will himself be at the helm of a luxury house's visions. The designer, 40, hailing from Magherafelt, of County Derry, grew up as the eldest of three, as the son of rugby union legend Willie Anderson, and Heather Buckley, a secondary school teacher. 'Growing up, I was never very good at rugby – I didn't really enjoy it. I did a bit of swimming. I never felt a pressure to be sporty or anything like that; our household was never that kind of system,' he admitted in an interview with The Gloss. 'Looking back, I think I was probably a very demanding child; probably quite selfish or always wanting something. I probably was too ambitious or maybe it was that I was constantly changing my mind. I did theatre and arts, and I would put on plays with my brother and sister.' Far from amateur productions with his siblings in the living room, Jonathan would go on to achieve successes with his own high fashion label - JW Anderson - as well as working with A-listers after designing Rihanna 's Super Bowl ensemble. He has now taken over from Maria Grazia Chiuri, who joined as Dior's first female artistic director of women's haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories in 2016, and Kim Jones who served as Dior's artistic director of menswear for seven years. 'I have always been inspired by the rich history of this House, its depth, and empathy,' Jonathan expressed. 'I look forward to working alongside its legendary Ateliers to craft the next chapter of this incredible story.' It comes after an impressive 11-year tenure at the head of creatively playful powerhouse Loewe, a role he flourished in all while remaining head of JW Anderson, which has enjoyed collaborations with retailing giant UNIQLO since 2017. While Jonathan himself has been candid about feeling like a 'failure' when he was young and being 'twisted' in confusion of what his future would look like (at one point he considered being a vet), it appears others around him were sure of a future fashionista. Speaking to British Vogue, in a special edition that saw Jonathan's old teachers speak to the outlet, one old educator said: 'Once I said, "Jonathan, what about fashion?" 'And he looked at me, folded his arms with that expression that he does, and said, 'Are you for real, Miss? They'll all think I'm a big Jenny Wren.'' Elsewhere his father Willie told The Gloss: 'We could see Jonathan's artistic side from an early age – he was always drawing. 'It comes from my wife and her father, who was a textile designer. Jonathan's acting was fantastic, too. He did Fagan in Oliver, which was outstanding. I'm trying to get a copy of it at the moment.' The rugby icon - whose son Thomas has too taken after him in a career in sport - however added that he feels fashion, much like his own industry, is 'about resilience'. 'We've been to shows at both London and Paris Fashion Week and the tension beforehand is the exact same as a big game,' he expressed. 'As a coach, you're just hoping they go onto the pitch – or down the runway – exactly the way you want them to.' Jonathan's childhood was, however, also backgrounded with a difficult political time, as The Troubles plagued Northern Ireland. 'I remember when they blew up Magherafelt high street, and driving past it every day when travelling to school. I remember a sports shop being blown off the face of the earth,' he told British Vogue. 'There's definitely something about growing up in Ireland. The craft, the family, the harshness – that has stayed with me.' Ireland is not the only place which has resonated with Jonathan's designs. The creative was also the mastermind behind LOEWE's Paula's Ibiza, a capsule collection of clothes and accessories inspired by the Spanish 70s boutique of the same name that came as a result of his reaching out to owners Armin Heinemann and Stuart Rudnick. 'Paula's Ibiza came about because of me trying to work out how to be Spanish,' he explained to AnOther, as his family had a house on the island. 'In a weird way the only connection I had to Spain was Ibiza. I didn't go to Madrid or Barcelona. I remember Paula's Ibiza from when I was a kid and then that brand disappeared. That is Spain for me, and I love the idea of being able to start a brand within a brand like that, of buying the intellectual property and owning it. There's colour, it's lightweight – it is incredibly hot in Madrid. If you can't reflect the country the brand is from, forget being able to sell it to the rest of the world.' While he has always had an eye for style, Jonathan's career first saw him moving to the US to try and become an actor, aged 18. He was enrolled at the prestigious Juilliard School for a year and a half but then dropped out. 'My parents were like, "Get back here right now. You're spending way too much money",' he told the outlet. On his return, Jonathan bagged a job at the Brown Thomas department store in Dublin, and later made his way to the London College of Fashion, from which he graduated in 2005. The designer's next foray into the fashion world was as a Prada merchandiser in the Irish capital, RTE reports, where he worked on window displays for the company. It's there that Jonathan met Manuela Pavesi, the eccentric collaborator of the late Miuccia Prada - at one point its head designer and the founder of subsidiary Miu Miu. According to the outlet, up until 2015, when she passed away, Jonathan had previewed each of his collections to her and 'received his real education' in the industry from doing so. Now, Jonathan himself will be spearheading the vision at a major design label. 'Jonathan Anderson is one of the greatest creative talents of his generation,' emphasised Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH. 'His incomparable artistic signature will be a crucial asset in writing the next chapter of the history of the House of Dior. Anderson's debut women's ready-to-wear collection will take place this October during Paris Fashion Week, following his debut with the Dior menswear collection on the 27th of this month.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Dior appoints Irishman Jonathan Anderson as sole creative director
Jonathan Anderson has been announced as the first creative director for men's, women's and couture collections at Dior , bringing to an end speculation about the luxury brand's future. The 40-year-old rugby player's son, from County Derry in Northern Ireland , will be the first designer to hold complete creative control of the fashion house since Christian Dior. Delphine Arnault, the chair and chief executive of Dior, described Anderson as 'the most talented designer of his generation'. He has long been compared with Karl Lagerfeld by fashion insiders. Anderson said: 'It is a great honour to join the house of Dior as creative director of women's and men's collections. I have always been inspired by the rich history of this house, its depth, and empathy. READ MORE 'I look forward to working alongside its famous ateliers to craft the next chapter of this incredible story. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Delphine Arnault and Bernard Arnault [the chief executive of LVMH] for their trust and loyalty over the years.' The significance of this moment is reflected in an unprecedented move for the famous house, skipping the haute couture shows for the first time in its 78-year history in July. It had already been confirmed in April that Anderson was to become the artistic director of men's wear, and he will present his first collection this month. He is due to debut his primary womenswear collection later this year. In a statement on Instagram, Dior said: 'For the first time at Christian Dior couture, since Monsieur Dior, a creative director will work on all the women's, men's, and haute couture collections, further strengthening its global creative vision.' Anderson's arrival has been the subject of front row gossip for a year. Maria Grazia Chiuri, the outgoing creative director of Dior womenswear, was still officially in her role last week when she took a bow at the end of her show in Rome. His ascendance reflects the fashion world's shifting view of him. In a short time, he has gone from a critically acclaimed but left field talent to the centre of power in the global fashion industry. But it was Anderson's eye-catching success at the formerly sleepy Spanish handbag brand Loewe that prompted the billionaire LVMH boss, Bernard Arnault, to reward him with the top prize. The decision to entrust a young designer with complete control is a roll of the dice for Dior, which has tended to play safe since being engulfed in scandal by the departure of John Galliano in 2011. A French court found Galliano guilty of making anti-Semitic remarks later that year and he was handed €6,000 (£5,060) in suspended fines. In 2023, Anderson crafted the outfit which Rihanna used to announce her pregnancy during the Super Bowl half-time performance, as well as Ariana Grande's Met Gala gown in 2024. He also created the patchwork cardigan worn by Harry Styles that went viral and was inducted into the Victoria and Albert Museum fashion collection this year. Delphine Arnault said: 'I am convinced that he will bring a creative and modern vision to our house, inspired by the fabulous story of Monsieur Dior and the codes he created.' - Guardian
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Dior appoints Jonathan Anderson as sole creative director
Jonathan Anderson has been announced as the first ever creative director for men's, women's and couture collections at Dior, bringing to an end speculation about the luxury brand's future. The 40-year-old rugby player's son, from County Derry in Northern Ireland, will be the first designer to hold complete creative control of the fashion house since Christian Dior. Delphine Arnault, the chair and chief executive of Dior, described Anderson as 'the most talented designer of his generation'. He has long been compared with Karl Lagerfeld by fashion insiders. Anderson said: 'It is a great honour to join the house of Dior as creative director of both women's and men's collections. I have always been inspired by the rich history of this house, its depth, and empathy. 'I look forward to working alongside its legendary ateliers to craft the next chapter of this incredible story. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Delphine Arnault and Bernard Arnault [the chief executive of LVMH] for their trust and loyalty over the years.' The significance of this moment is reflected in an unprecedented move for the famous house, skipping the haute couture shows for the first time in its 78-year history in July. It had already been confirmed in April that Anderson was to become the artistic director of menswear, and he will present his first collection this month. He is due to debut his primary womenswear collection later this year. In a statement on Instagram, Dior said: 'For the first time at Christian Dior couture, since Monsieur Dior, a creative director will work on all the women's, men's, and haute couture collections, further strengthening its global creative vision.' Anderson's arrival has been the subject of front row gossip for a year. Maria Grazia Chiuri, the outgoing creative director of Dior womenswear, was still officially in her role last week when she took a bow at the end of her show in Rome. His ascendance reflects the fashion world's shifting view of him. In short time, he has gone from a critically acclaimed but leftfield talent to the centre of power in the global fashion industry. But it was Anderson's eye-catching success at the formerly sleepy Spanish handbag brand Loewe that prompted the billionaire LVMH boss, Bernard Arnault, to reward him with the top prize. The decision to entrust a young designer with complete control is a roll of the dice for Dior, which has tended to play safe since being engulfed in scandal by the departure of John Galliano in 2011. Sign up to Fashion Statement Style, with substance: what's really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved after newsletter promotion A French court found Galliano guilty of making antisemitic remarks later that year and he was handed €6,000 (£5,060) in suspended fines. In 2023, Anderson crafted the outfit which Rihanna used to announce her pregnancy during the Super Bowl half-time performance, as well as Ariana Grande's Met Gala gown in 2024. He also created the patchwork cardigan worn by Harry Styles that went viral and was inducted into the Victoria and Albert Museum fashion collection this year. Delphine Arnault said: 'I am convinced that he will bring a creative and modern vision to our house, inspired by the fabulous story of Monsieur Dior and the codes he created.'
