@thecut

As creative director of Loewe, a willingness to shake things up has served Jonathan Anderson well. LVMH, which owns the $1 billion-a-year fashion brand, struggled for years to make the Spanish brand feel new and exciting instead of traditional and dull. The challenge defeated three designers over 16 years, each valiantly trying to come up with a fresh way to cut a pencil skirt or blazer in leather and suede. The first person who thought of Anderson for Loewe was Anderson. That’s how Pierre-Yves Roussel, then the head of the Fashion Group at LVMH, remembers the meeting in 2013. Roussel first met Anderson shortly after the designer had launched his brand, just shy of turning 24. “His work was interesting, but even more interesting was Jonathan,” Roussel recalled. “He was not just talking about the clothes, which is how most designers talk, but he was discussing story, brand space. He had references outside the pure fashion world — to architecture, art, and crafts.” One day, a few years later, Roussel mentioned he was looking for a new designer for Loewe — which, in terms of a league chart, was near the bottom of LVMH’s fashion brands. Did Anderson know of anyone? “And he looked at me and said, ‘I would love to do it.’” The rest is history. Head to the link in bio for a look inside the world of the ambitious designer. 📸: @romainlaprade