In the studio with… J.W. Anderson

The Liberty girls were lucky enough to be invited to the Hoxton studio of J.W. Anderson, where we met the man behind the brand – the very charming Jonathan Anderson.  He talked us through his collections and the things he loves right now.

Most famed for his menswear collections, Jonathan told us about the transition into womenswear and the inspiration behind his AW10 pieces:

“We only decided to do a women’s collection 5 weeks before the show.  The whole collection spawned from our menswear designs, so we translated the pieces straight over.  It’s based on the idea of a very empowered woman who is extremely comfortable with herself borrowing stuff from her boyfriend and adapting it.  A sort of Patty Smith and Robert Mappleton influence.”

His Liberty Loves:

“My favourite room in Liberty is the Rug & Carpet Room, but I love the jewellery room too.  Maybe I could do a carpet installation for my next jewellery collection!  My grandfather also used to design Liberty print back in the 50’s, so I’ve always had a connection with Liberty.

What’s next for J.W. Anderson:

“Next season is about the ridiculous and the over the top dishevelled look.  We are having amazing prints by William Gedney printed on t-shirts which are really strong.  We also have these Iranian blankets which are passed down through generations which we will be reworking into trousers.”

Did you know:

• He’s a regular at Leila’s cafe in Shoreditch for eggs in the morning
• Marina and the Diamonds is playing on his iTunes and he’s a big fan of Arthur Russell whose songs will be opening his London Fashion Week show in September
• His dad used to play Rugby professionally for Ireland and Jonathon still has a treasured collection of his old rugby shirts
• His most treasured wardrobe piece: a white t-shirt left behind by someone special
• His biggest role model is Manuela Pavesi who gave him his first job at Prada
• He was obsessed with James Dean when he lived in New York and even sported some bi focal lenses which he couldn’t see though
• His favourite jewellery piece from the collection is the Horn Mizpah brooch.

J.W. Anderson’s AW10 womenswear and accessory collections are online and in store now.