Smartphone style hits catwalk at J.W. Anderson show
An inescapable feature of modern life, the instantly recognizable motifs of mobile phone applications inspired British designer Jonathan Anderson’s London Fashion Week show last Sunday, with his brash embroidered creations lighting up the catwalk.
Anderson, whose daring collections have earned him a reputation as one of the rising stars of the fashion industry, presented the autumnwinter 2017 collection by his own label, J.W. Anderson, using the colorful square logos that fill up smartphone screens around the world as a muse.
To the sound of throbbing electro music, the models paraded on the catwalk sporting blocks of brightly embroidered and crocheted patterns on sweaters, wide scarves, shoes and backpacks.
Fashionistas, journalists and VIPs lined the catwalk, looking on with amusement as some models lost their way on the makeshift runways that snaked through a redbrick military building.
“It kind of looks like an iPhone, it looks like apps,” the 32-year-old designer, who is also artistic director of the Spanish leather goods brand Loewe — part of the LVMH group — told journalists after the show.
The designer, son of former rugby international Willie Anderson, also presented thick woolly coats with XXL sleeves that concealed the hands and tumbled down to the mid-thigh.
Anderson admitted that their length rendered them “nonfunctional”, joking that they were “not good for eating a dinner like spaghetti Bolognese”.
Although drawing inspiration from cutting-edge technology, the collection also borrowed from history with prints recalling medieval frescos decorating a cozy suit, paired with puffer pants.
The collection was designed to inspire a feeling of comfort with its generous, “protective” shapes, said Anderson, epitomized by the long shirts evoking the traditional shalwar kameez outfits worn in South Asia.
Later on Sunday fashion trio Sibling presented their autumn-winter collection, taking inspiration from the mosaics of Spanish modernist architect Antoni Gaudi to create a funky and dynamic wardrobe.
The British designers played with geometry to create patterned wool tunics and heavy pullovers, matched with equally-bold shorts and socks.
Sibling took advantage of Fashion Week to also present their women’s collection, continuing the focus on blues and reds while drawing on tribal motifs and bright patchwork.
Men’s Fashion Week ended on Monday, when the industry packed its suitcases for Milan, Paris and then New York.
Male fashion sales in Britain for 2016 are expected to record a 4.4 percent increase to $18 billion.