Just before he presented his Spring/Summer 2013 collection, OC London's Dot met with Jonathan of J.W. Anderson at his new, light-filled studio in Hackney.
Dot Burns: I can see from your Instagram that you've just returned from a trip in Ireland.
Jonathan Anderson: Yes, I just got back this morning.
DB: How often do you return to the motherland?
JA: I haven’t been back in a while. It was the first time I’d been back in nearly nine years and it was kind of amazing! I went to see the first edition of James Joyce’s Ulysses.
DB: That’s cool, where was that?
JA: It was at the Ireland's National Library where they have Yeats, Samuel Beckett, and other first editions. I also saw Francis Bacon’s studio, which was dismantled in London and resurrected in Dublin!
DB: That’s quite random!
JA: He was Irish so they thought they'd take it back!
DB: Clinging onto that heritage...
JA: Clinging onto anyone who is Irish! The trip was quite inspiring. I found out about artists I'd never heard of, like Tim Hamilton who does these military pictures.
DB: Is your work the result of the nature of Ireland or the nurture of London?
JA: I think it is a hybrid of the two: the ambition of one and the reality of the other. I think Ireland definitely has huge craft [tradition], which has an influence on our handmade pieces. London is the driving force.
DB: Your roots are in menswear but you’re clearly taking the womenswear world by storm. Do you have a preference? Do you approach them differently?
JA: Menswear is the experimenting ground for womenswear. Both need each other to exist.
DB: Can you tell us about the Fall/Winter 2012 collection?
JA: OC has a very broad selection of the pre-fall and the main FW12 collection. The collections are based on domestic structures: architectural for the main and more daywear for the pre-fall collection. There are a lot of great knits, graphics, three-dimensional cable knits, and a lot of different checks—even checks backed onto neoprene checks, on mohair!
DB: Your most recent menswear show caused quite a stir during London Collections: Men. Has the split between the men's and women's collections changed the rhythm in the studio? Has it changed your design process?
JA: I am able to focus more on one collection. Two shows in one week was a little rushed. I had more headspace and, in terms of the collection, it was one of the best moments I’ve had. People wanted to perceive the collection as though I was being confrontational or argumentative, which it wasn’t about. It was more about the concept of man and masculinity and how this can be blurred. I wanted to push things: if you don’t push things forward you will always end up with the same thing. The collection presents a lot of questions and I think that is what fashion is about. The split in the seasons pushed us and gave us more time to think about how the show set should look and what the casting should be like.
DB: Your show casting is always really strong. Do you enjoy that process?
JA: I love it and once you find the right boy or girl for a look it all makes sense. Clothing is lifeless without the person in
Dot Burns: I can see from your Instagram that you've just returned from a trip in Ireland.
Jonathan Anderson: Yes, I just got back this morning.
DB: How often do you return to the motherland?
JA: I haven’t been back in a while. It was the first time I’d been back in nearly nine years and it was kind of amazing! I went to see the first edition of James Joyce’s Ulysses.
DB: That’s cool, where was that?
JA: It was at the Ireland's National Library where they have Yeats, Samuel Beckett, and other first editions. I also saw Francis Bacon’s studio, which was dismantled in London and resurrected in Dublin!
DB: That’s quite random!
JA: He was Irish so they thought they'd take it back!
DB: Clinging onto that heritage...
JA: Clinging onto anyone who is Irish! The trip was quite inspiring. I found out about artists I'd never heard of, like Tim Hamilton who does these military pictures.
DB: Is your work the result of the nature of Ireland or the nurture of London?
JA: I think it is a hybrid of the two: the ambition of one and the reality of the other. I think Ireland definitely has huge craft [tradition], which has an influence on our handmade pieces. London is the driving force.
DB: Your roots are in menswear but you’re clearly taking the womenswear world by storm. Do you have a preference? Do you approach them differently?
JA: Menswear is the experimenting ground for womenswear. Both need each other to exist.
DB: Can you tell us about the Fall/Winter 2012 collection?
JA: OC has a very broad selection of the pre-fall and the main FW12 collection. The collections are based on domestic structures: architectural for the main and more daywear for the pre-fall collection. There are a lot of great knits, graphics, three-dimensional cable knits, and a lot of different checks—even checks backed onto neoprene checks, on mohair!
DB: Your most recent menswear show caused quite a stir during London Collections: Men. Has the split between the men's and women's collections changed the rhythm in the studio? Has it changed your design process?
JA: I am able to focus more on one collection. Two shows in one week was a little rushed. I had more headspace and, in terms of the collection, it was one of the best moments I’ve had. People wanted to perceive the collection as though I was being confrontational or argumentative, which it wasn’t about. It was more about the concept of man and masculinity and how this can be blurred. I wanted to push things: if you don’t push things forward you will always end up with the same thing. The collection presents a lot of questions and I think that is what fashion is about. The split in the seasons pushed us and gave us more time to think about how the show set should look and what the casting should be like.
DB: Your show casting is always really strong. Do you enjoy that process?
JA: I love it and once you find the right boy or girl for a look it all makes sense. Clothing is lifeless without the person in