Review of JW Anderson Fall 2023 Fashion Show
Anderson Spins His Greatest Hits at God’s Disco
By Angela Baidoo
London has a reputation for producing some of the industry’s top talent, many of which are then tapped by luxury conglomerates to head up their creative departments. But the city has also become a victim of its own success with many key names defecting to the bright lights of bigger cities. Not so for Jonathan (JW) Anderson whose namesake brand has been a much-needed draw that has kept London on the schedule of editors and stylists at both established and more edgy media publications.
Fresh from dressing Rihanna at the Super Bowl, in that now iconic red jumpsuit that was used to reveal the bump of baby number 2, todays outing was also a performance of sorts. Tackling the oft asked question around fashion and it’s other identities as art, and also performance piece, many designers have embraced this friction in the past and added in a large dose of showmanship to their collections that has taken the form of expressive dance, theatre, or immersive audience participation.
“Looking back is not something I do very often, but occasionally it feels necessary as a way to move forward. The past can be a lens that can bring the future into focus”.
Jonathan Anderson
Partnering with the Michael Clark Dance Company – a personal hero and heavy influence of Andersons throughout his career – was a collaboration that couldn’t be more fitting as Clark is known for his performances that go against the grain whether through experimentation or unorthodox locations, think the Glastonbury Festival or Tate Moderns turbine hall. For fall 2023 the designer readily admitted that “sometimes I think all roads lead to Michael Clark” which makes perfect sense as they both have an understanding of the way in which dance, fashion, art, and performance intersect, and have become a part of their “creative universe”
15 years is as good a time as any to mine the archives, especially when said archives are being rediscovered and remixed by a new generation who need a lesson in the origins of some of their design heroes. Pondering this via his social media, Anderson revealed “Looking back is not something I do very often, but occasionally it feels necessary as a way to move forward. The past can be a lens that can bring the future into focus”. The designers success both at home, and abroad with Loewe, lies not in nostalgia, but in his quiet contemplation between seasons, and for the most part a rejection of the superstar designer trap. With each collection we await what left-field references or unearthed pop culture visuals (wellipets anyone?) will appear next, keeping us all on our toes. And if the latest version of his sure to sell-out accessories are anything to go by, they will be encased in animal paws, an indication that the designer has also fallen under the spell of the feline, bovine, and canine which has afflicted his New York counterparts.
This season, Anderson not only rifled through his own collections, but also those of Clark’s, to create a mentally stimulating fusion of art and design. Bringing back some of his most beloved styles will surely be a crowd pleaser. Resurrecting his XXL trapeze coats with outsize collars from his fall 2020 ready-to-wear show, the delicate swathes of fabric scalloped along the neck and hem of a midi dress were taken from Look 13 of his fall 2019 collection. And wide leg pants from menswear fall 2021 that stand to attention at a right angle, are also soft enough to fold over when worn. Clarks presence was felt, if not in performance – a lone female bagpipe player was the solitary nod to Clark and his Scottish roots – than in his iconic graphic imagery. From the set design – one of the giant cubes the models walked through implored us to “Enjoy God’s Disco” in the instantly recognisable Coca-Cola red and white insignia, to the British supermarket Tesco’s grocery bags reinvented as a mini dress.
The Michael Clark company have also inadvertently been gifted with a merch opportunity for their November show which is to take place later this year at the same Roundhouse venue. In the luminous green graphic fonts printed across tanks, T-shirts and totes.
Stripping back from the references and collaboration, this was another collection that fed into the notion of real clothes for the real world, which has been manifesting since New York.
Stripping back from the references and collaboration, this was another collection that fed into the notion of real clothes for the real world, which has been manifesting since New York. Tanks and skinny pants, long black dresses with tactile furry trims, relaxed tailored outerwear, pleated shell tops and mermaid cold-shoulder dresses could all walk right of the runway and straight into retail. This being a JW Anderson collection though, each look had its quirk serving to only heighten its desirability when it hits stores, as a simple suit is definitely an investment, but many are looking for that little bit more, and once again this was a designer who delivered.