A
lthough Anderson’s upbringing may appear entirely
removed from the lifestyle he now inhabits – he
lives in both London and Paris, dividing his time
between his eponymous brand and Loewe, three
days a week at the former, two at the latter – a fascination
with craft has long been interwoven through his story. While
his father’s side of the family were farmers, and Anderson
would spend his summers tending their cattle, his maternal
grandfather was a fervid collector of Delft pottery and, taken
by that spirit, Jonathan compulsively hoarded miniature
animal-shaped ceramics as a child (though the sorts found in
Christmas crackers rather than art galleries). His grandfather
also ran a textile mill, and Anderson would visit regularly,
transfixed by the millions of feet of screen-printed camouflage
fabrics. Despite the fact that it would go on to be used by the
British Army, as opposed to luxury goods, the acetates and
exposures, the manual processes of it all – “the idea of making”- proved fascinating to him. It’s a spirit echoed by the pioneers
of the British Arts and Crafts movement, who have since
proven to be some of his most direct influences – creators and
creatives celebrated through the annual Loewe capsule
collections paying tribute to their work.
The first chapter in the series, in 2017, showed William
Morris’s pastoral British sensibility positioned against the
aesthetic codes of Camden punk: Morris’s curlicue acanthus
foliage printed on puffers and denims, transforming them
into their own sort of camouflage; creatures from Morris’s
forest prints transposed on to leather jackets. The next year,
silken renderings of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s botanicals
appeared patchworked on to louche tailoring, or sometimes
crocheted into knitwear. Not only did each of their works
translate to remarkably covetable ready-to-wear, but they
instantly imbued the collections with the intellectual,
eccentric sensibility that Anderson is besotted by.
Now it’s the turn of William De Morgan: a ceramicist
revered for his technical prowess and somewhat nightmarish
fantasia, whose oeuvre has been interspersed with Anderson’s
festive imagination for his latest capsule. “It’s fantasy – but
an odd type of fantasy,” reflects Jonathan. “It looks cute, but
at the same time, some of what he did is kind of disturbing.
A lot of animals eating animals, or two animals joined
together... There’s something which I think, in a weird way,
has a sort of wizardry about it. Kind of like an early Harry
Potter.” Enter accessories in the shape of otters; enormous
capes scattered with De Morgan’s tile designs; chunky
sweaters hand-knitted with dragons; and leather handbags
embroidered with thick woollen yarn. “You still have that
naivety – the idea that your grandmother could have made
it – but with the precision we can get now,” he says. “We’re
exploring the handmade, to the ecstasy of it. What William
De Morgan did was really take the art of lustre to the next
level – and you had this explosion of new ideas that were
fundamentally fuelled by make.” By taking a similar approach
to his clothing – rooting the development of pieces in
artisanal techniques rather than just thematic narratives –
Anderson is achieving a similarly magnetic impact: pieces
that elevate the everyday into the exquisite.
Equally, spotlighting one of the lesser-known pioneers
of the Arts and Crafts movement marries well with the
intellectual creativity of the Loewe customer he fantasises
about: someone as likely to be equipped with enlightening
dinner-party conversation as with expensive handbags. “I’m
looking forward to having people re-learn about William
De Morgan, who, in the Arts and Crafts world, is a very
famous figure, but internationally may be less known,” he
notes. “There is something which I find incredibly cultural
about that.” Plus, there’s a charm to the most monstrous of
creatures executed so sweetly; a comical curiosity to the
enormous skeleton suits that have amounted. “I thought it
was kind of nice to have Halloween at Christmas,” shrugs
Anderson simply. “I thought there was something interesting
in the idea of pattern and dress up.”
That idea – of intricate and thoughtful craftsmanship
presented as the ultimate in modern luxury – is, essentially,
what his Loewe is all about. Whether it manifests through
installing Edwin Lutyens chandeliers in the London
flagship, launching a literary imprint that republishes
Flaubert and Conrad, or selling hand-knitted De Morgan
jumpers, it makes for a cohesive vision. “Today, I think if a
brand doesn’t have a full lifestyle culture, it’s very difficult,”
says Anderson, about an industry where brands can fall
from favour with alarming immediacy. “Because, ultimately,
the consumer has changed.” In a market saturated with
quick-fire trend cycles and disposable consumption, he’s
building a world – and a wardrobe – designed to last. Is he
satisfied? “Loewe is one of the oldest luxury brands there
is; it should be the best,” he says, assuredly stubbing out
another cigarette. “I think I have a duty to get this job
done... I think we are getting there.” Q“TODAY, I THINK IF
A BRAND DOESN’T HAVE A
FULL LIFESTYLE CULTURE,
IT’S VERY DIFFICULT,”
SAYS ANDERSON, ABOVE,
WEARING A SWEATER
FROM THE COLLECTION.
OPPOSITE: SKELETON
SCARF, £1,350, I THINK IF
A BRAND DOESN’T
VE A FULL
LIFESTYLE
Y
S
ANDERSON
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