JW Anderson Is Pausing Future Runway Shows

Jonathan Anderson is one of fashion's busiest men at the moment. Following the triumphant debut of his first ever Dior Menswear collection, making him the first designer since Monsieur Dior to preside over the men’s, women’s and haute couture collections at Christian Dior, Anderson is shaking things up at his eponymous label.

There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the Irish designer would be up to the task of producing at the volume he is required to at Dior, with 10 collections per year across women's and men's, and maintaining his output at JW Anderson. But in a new interview with WWD, Anderson has revealed that he is pivoting his namesake label.

This morning,WWD revealed that “instead of seasonal fashion and accessories, the new JW Anderson will offer luxe wardrobe staples, jewelry, sunglasses, art, craft and items for the home.” And if his to-do list wasn't already long enough, Anderson is now expected to release the new JW concept with a presentation during Paris couture week at Galerie Joseph on Monday, July 7.

The interview explains that the overhaul will include ceasing seasonal runway collections, but only indefinitely. “When we feel like there needs to be a show, we will do a show,” he said. “It could be in a year or two, or in three months. But only when I feel like there is something to say within my own brand.”. He also plans to close stores in London and Milan for renovations and will reopen them in September; redesigning jwanderson.com into something “different and simplistic”; opening more stores in Pimlico, Belgravia, New York and Paris; and will double down on his focus on craft, just as he did at Loewe.

Within this rebrand, Anderson will be including lifestyle pieces that speak to English sensibilities like teacups and Windsor chairs, and tactile objects from various craftspeople around the globe. As far as collections go, the designer plans to distill the ready to wear pieces into more of a slower model and capsule concept. “If we make a sweater, then we will issue a different color only when we need to,” Anderson told WWD. “Things don’t have to be a success overnight. It’s about enjoying a design and sticking with it. It’s a slower process, and finding fetish within things. And it’s very much how I see my home, and my world.”