Guinness X JW Anderson celebrates the black stuff... but at a price

Derry designer Jonathan Anderson recently launched a unisex, 17-piece collection inspired by the pint of plain’s famous branding and the interiors of traditional Irish pubs.

The campaign for the collection is fronted by English actor Joe Alwyn and musician Little Simz, and the designs are stocked in luxury retailers including Selfridges, Brown Thomas, and Nordstrom.  

Anderson clearly sees the partnership as mutually beneficial (commercially and as a reputation-building exercise), both for the famous brewery and his own namesake company, which he maintains alongside his role as Creative Director at luxury French fashion house, Dior.

The pairing of food and drink brands with fashion is a growing trend: UK bag designer Anya Hindmarch regularly takes inspiration from iconic packaging, while Irish brand Maya Grisham has created intricately beaded bags inspired by Brennan’s Bread, Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky, and Kerrygold butter.

The affection for famous logos and the positive associations for the designers who elevate them to high fashion seem to present a win-win for both partners.

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Joe Alwyn wears the Guinness Shield Harp jumper, €950, and the Guinness towelling shorts, €490, Guinness x JW Anderson collection

While pints of stout and high stools may not be the usual inspiration for haute couture, Anderson and his design team worked with a Guinness company archivist to explore the brand’s visual history, including vintage advertising and graphics to use as the starting point for the range of cool casuals with elevated price points.

The collection of Guinness-branded pieces includes knitwear, t-shirts, sweatshirts, trousers, shorts, and jackets that start at €220 for a cotton Guinness t-shirt, rising to an eye-watering €1,450 for a pure wool Guinness jumper. You certainly wouldn’t want to spill a pint down the front, with that price tag.  

Overall, the collection has four jumpers: a surging gradient jumper, €750 inspired by a settling pint of Guinness, a dark brown alpaca blend knit, €850, with a harp and 1759 logo (made in Ireland), an ivory and black shield logo sweater, €950, (made from 100% Irish wool) and the red and blue intarsia jumper with a design inspired by pub carpets, a snip at €1450.

The Smooth Tempo scarf, in cream and black, €390, inspired by a ‘90s “Pure Genius” press advert, cleverly features pints as musical notes on sheet music.   

There is also the Guinness cotton toweling jacket, €790, with coordinating shorts, €490, both inspired by Guinness bar towels, and the black crewneck sweatshirt, €350, informed by the habit of bartenders wearing a bar towel on their shoulders.

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Little Simz wearing the Guinness bottle top print T-shirt, €220 and the Guinness workwear dungarees, €890

There are also styles influenced by utilitarian workwear, including cotton work dungarees, €890, with a printed harp on the chest, twisted workwear jeans, €650, and a blue denim chore jacket, €850, inspired by vintage brewery uniforms, emblazoned with the Guinness harp and the brand name.  

For the purposes of comparison, in Carrolls' Irish Gifts, a Guinness polo shirt is €39.95, a retro print jersey is €49.95, and a Guinness knit is €45.95. To be fair, the price for Carrolls' jumper would suggest it’s synthetic rather than wool or alpaca like Anderson’s designs.

And, while the Carrolls' merchandise is squarely aimed at the mass market, Anderson’s is not. Instead, it is targeted at a niche customer with a taste for luxury. The finish on the JW Anderson pieces is excellent and the fabrics are premium, but then they would need to be with those steep price tags.  

With the average price of a pint of Guinness now about €6.08 nationally, what traditional Guinness drinkers will make of these prices is debatable. However, the campaign and the clothing are not aimed at them but at a new affluent young audience, including women and celebrities who see the beer as fun and fashionable.

Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift, and Dua Lipa have all been spotted sipping a Guinness and their endorsement has attracted an aura of cool to the Liberties brewed beer.  

While some may scratch their head as to why anyone would want to wear a jacket inspired by a beer mat, especially one that retails at €790, there are others who will click and add to cart, believing that they are buying into the legacy of a storied brand with deep roots in Irish life.

* This article was originally published on Evoke.ie.