Magherafelt native Jonathan Anderson has been confirmed as the new creative director of Dior Menswear ending months of industry speculation and rumours that tipped him as the potential head of both womenswear and menswear at the storied French house.
The appointment was announced by LVMH chairman and chief executive Bernard Arnault at the company’s annual general meeting on Thursday.
Mr Anderson who lives in Paris will succeed British designer Kim Jones who stepped down in January after seven years, growing the business to more than €1.2 billion.
Mr Anderson’s outstanding achievement was turning a low key Spanish luxury brand Loewe (also owned by LVMH) during 11 years at its helm into a global superstar company now worth roughly $3 billion. At the same time he was also running his own brand and collaborating with Uniqlo.
‘No long-term commitments to anything’ – the silent slowdown of Ireland’s economy
UCC professor launches support service for doctors suffering from exhaustion and burnout
Counting the cost of Donald Trump’s attack on American science
CIÉ staff end 17-year wait for pension rise and Irish consumers’ love affair with US fast food
Now 41, Anderson started designing menswear in 2008 and is known for his ability to combine both the avant garde and the commercial in his collections, creating garments and accessories that attract attention and controversy but are grounded in a restless imagination with an all-encompassing range of interests and references.
His ambition has always been to become the world’s best living designer; he is a trustee on the board of the V&A Museum in London and is particularly proud of inaugurating the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, an annual award that recognises excellence among makers. “Craft is about detail, time and precision – not about loudness,” he once said.
Elder son of former Irish rugby captain Willie Anderson, his resilience has been inherited from very driven, determined parents while his creative gene has been attributed to a grandfather who was a textile designer and art collector.
All eyes will now be on his first collection for Dior Men’s Fashion in June in Paris.
