Just days away from his much-anticipated Summer 26 collection, Jonathan Anderson is dusting off his sewing machine, sure to make waves at the helm of Dior’s hallowed halls.
It started with a whisper. Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Dior Resort 26 collection was announced to be presented in her hometown, Rome. Coincidence? Maybe, but the fashion world loves a rumour, and slowly but surely, whispers turned into rustles. Then Kim Jones stepped down from his position as artistic director for the LVMH-owned atelier, leaving an empty space for his successor. Whilst the fash pack were evermore consumed with what ifs, and could it be’s, an emotional Jonathan Anderson took to Instagram (the day before his final presentation for Loewe), to reminisce on his proudest moments spent as the spearhead of the Spanish fashion house, with a tenureship spanning over a decade. Taylor Russell’s tree trunk corset for the Met Gala 2024, Rihanna’s custom jumpsuit for the Superbowl, 2023, and Beyoncé’s lipstick-laden jumpsuit on her Renaissance tour all featured in the Insta collage, unsurprisingly.
Still, the speculation could have easily been smoke and mirrors, as a formal confirmation on the Northern Irish designer’s ascent to Dior’s throne was formidably absent. Nonetheless, the turning of Dior’s pages was already in full swing, for some. Then came the news. Anderson was marked as the director of Dior Men’s in April, as the story unfolded to a symphonic culmination in June, when it was finally announced that Anderson would make history in becoming the first designer in the French house’s 79-year history – since Christian Dior himself – to oversee men’s, women’s, and couture. Whew.
After a whirlwind of fervently rumoured months, we sit in immense anticipation for June 27, ready to watch Anderson’s first stab at mastering the Dior house codes. What should, would, and could, a Jonathan Anderson Dior world look like? At Loewe, Anderson cultivated a brand which existed not only in its clothes, but in its persistence to excite and elevate the cultural zeitgeist. His ability to highlight the nichest, yet most relevant muses – a who’s who of pop culture’s most current stars, think: Richard Gadd from Baby Reindeer, Leo Wooddall and Ambika Mod of One Day, or even Dame Maggie Smith.
It will come as no surprise that this theme is already following suit at Dior – tapping the revered footballer, Kylian Mbappé, to pose at the forefront of Dior’s Summer 26 teasers. In a short and snappy campaign, the footie aficionado scrubs up in a woolen suit against a soundtrack of Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, as the Real Madrid star fixes his red tie, over a striped blue-and-white shirt.
A quick whiz through both Dior and Jonathan Anderson’s social media will prove that the neutral colour palette cultivated by Kim Jones and Maria Grazia Chiuri has been hung back in the archives. Tangerine yellow, emerald green, and cobalt blue make themselves known as some of the initial hues in Anderson’s Dior vision, leaning into the designer’s signature likening to a bright colour. Revitalising Dior’s Book Tote bag, Anderson’s iteration infuses cultural references from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ Les Liasons Dangereuses. Two gothic novels which are both written in epistolary format, that is, the plot relies on letters, diary entries, and other documents to tell the story. Perhaps Anderson is alluding to a similar theme ruminating around the power of storytelling for Dior’s Spring 26, being that Christian Dior’s own design aesthetic was informed by personal and anecdotal references from his childhood.
Film and TV are kindred spirits with Anderson when it comes to his craft: Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut became prime stimulus in his Pre-Fall 24 collection, or his bloodcurdling spin on Stephen King’s Carrie for AW22. Any seasoned Jonathan Anderson fan will be familiar with his affinity for the Studio Ghibli world, which the designer has forayed around in a handful of collections for Loewe. Of course, let us not forget Anderson’s thriving relationship with Gen-Z’s favourite director, Luca Guadagino, of which the Northern Irish-born designer kitted out the cast of Queer. As the Dior Book Tote gets a turn to the darkside, Anderson’s references to two gothic novels leads us to believe his debut could include some connections to John Galliano’s Gothic-chic take on Dior.
But what Jonathan Anderson does best, is toeing the line between the serious, and not-so-serious – a slightly tongue-in-cheek methodology, which exponentially succeeds amongst the fashion world. During his time at Loewe, the designer has welcomed in many a viral moment for the Spaniard atelier (see: the tomato which turned from a meme on X, into a full on Loewe clutch bag). It’s this playful approach which gives Anderson his endless allure, and one which we’re sure will prosper as he clocks in for shift at Dior, enter – the Jonathan Anderson affinity for animals.
Whilst at the helm of Loewe and his own eponymous label, he’s given us pigeon clutch bags (which made an appearance in the Sex and the City reboot, no less), he’s barked on about his love for dogs, most notably as the fluffy felines sat in tapestry form on garments for Loewe’s AW24 collection, and even a pair of adult-sized-frog-clogs (yes, you heard that right). Now he’s bringing frogs along for the ride, as Dior has hinted at a continuation of Anderson’s love for animals. On Dior’s Instagram, a frog-shaped pin cushion sits amidst a Dior label, a ladybird is crawling up a roll of thread, and a bee is captured mid-buzz. Given Dior’s vivid relationship with bees and mother nature, we’re sure that Anderson’s similar flair for the natural world will be ever present in his debut.
Also in attendance for the Jonathan Anderson Dior debut is Nina Christen. If her name isn’t ringing a bell, we’re sure her shoes will. The Chilean-Swiss shoemaker’s body of work includes a highlight reel of it-shoes from recent years: the Lido sandal for Bottega Veneta, Loewe’s balloon pump, or its fluffy Toy pump. After a three-year stint working alongside Anderson at Loewe, Christen is joining the creative director on the Dior rollercoaster, which means one thing – a siren song of viral footwear.
Jonathan Anderson is certainly leaving us a bread crumbed trail of Dior-adjacent easter eggs, as we gush over the potential of what his vision for the French fashion house may pertain to. Animals, playful colours, emotive designs, all sewn through Anderson’s careful hands. Whatever his kaleidoscopic world looks like in Dior format – it’s sure to be a good ‘un.
Words – Freya Goodchild-Bridge
