Chatter has been growing for weeks that fashion house Dior was on the hunt for a new look, and now it has been confirmed that the brand has found just that in Irish designer Jonathan Anderson.
It's no wonder the 40-year-old has piqued the interest of the powers that be in Dior given he has a more than impressive CV behind him.
Born and raised in Magherafelt, Co Derry, Jonathan embraced his passion for fashion and graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2005. From there, he went on to launch his eponymous label three years later.
In the past, Jonathan has worked as a visual merchandiser for Prada, working for Manuela Pavesi, and in February 2013, Donatella Versace enlisted him to replace Christopher Kane at Versace's diffusion line Versus.
That September, LVMH took a minority stake in JW Anderson and named the fashion designer as the new creative director for Spanish fashion house Loewe.
Jonathan has championed the infusion of Irish design into the saturated fashion scene and even dressed huge names such as Ariana Grande and Ayo Edibiri for the 2024 Met Gala.
Still not ringing any bells? Perhaps you'll recognise his colourful creation Rihanna wore to announce her pregnancy at the Super Bowl in 2023.
Or perhaps you'll have heard of the major motion picture "Challengers," for which Jonathan served as the creative mastermind behind the costumes.
Well, these creations, which have found themselves fossilised in pop culture history, have caught the attention of Dior, and now that Jonathan has officially left Loewe, the rumours are true.
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After 11 years at Loewe, Jonathan is poised to take over as creative director at Dior Menswear. Bernard Arnault announced his appointment at LVMH's annual shareholders' meeting in Paris in April.
He told the press that the Derry designer will create the June collection for Dior Men's Fashion - so we don't have long to wait for Jonathan's first collection with the brand!
Jonathan also confirmed the news by sharing a photo of blue checked clothing with the Dior label inside.
Per the Irish Times, well-placed industry sources said Jonathan and his team were in Dior headquarters on Avenue Montaigne three months ago.
Ahead of his new role being confirmed and his exit from Loewe, the Irish designer found himself reflecting on his time with Loewe and what the brand means to him.
Per Harper's Bazaar, Jonathan said: "I think what it means to me is… Ten years ago I would not have believed that I would be sitting here and that we would be doing an exhibition at this scale."
"I always knew that Loewe was going to work [but] I did not believe it was going to be able to transcend this far," he continued, calling the experience "surreal."
"The brand was incredibly tiny when I joined. And a lot of people, I think, probably thought when I joined, this is never going to work. And now, coming here, I believe that I have done my job. I feel like I have done what Loewe needed."
* This article was originally published on Evoke.ie
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