Latest news with #LondonCollegeofFashion
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
‘Project Runway' is back with two New England hopefuls
'Get ready for lots of laughs, lots of tears,' she said. Advertisement This season, model Heidi Klum returns as host, alongside her new cohost, season 4 winner Christian Siriano They'll be joined by a judging panel made up of returning judge Nina Garcia, Elle editor-in-chief, as well as stylist Law Roach, who's known for his work with stars including Zendaya and Anya Taylor-Joy. The classic structure, with contestants battling each episode to win challenges, avoid elimination, and ultimately snatch the career-defining season win, also returns. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Both Malenfant and Rosa agreed that this season was rigorous and taught them lessons about time management. 'It was a lot of work,' Rosa said. 'No sleep, but the best part about it is I got to meet amazing designers like Madeline, and I built a true friendship with all the other cast members. So, overall, I think it was a great opportunity.' Advertisement While everyone pursued design through different avenues and aesthetics, their similar goals automatically made them all connect, Malenfant said. Rosa, a streetwear designer, has been interested in fashion since middle school, when he created custom jeans for other kids based on sneakers that were coming out. However, he said he moved out of Rhode Island to New York in part because Rhode Island didn't have a large fashion scene. 'There was only certain people that would want to express themselves in a fashionable way,' Rosa said. 'So, that's the main reason why I was like, I need to move to New York, where I'm surrounded by it daily.' Now, he's the head designer of lifestyle brand Cult of Individuality. Malenfant said she came from a 'very concentrated style zone' that makes her associate New England with a preppy aesthetic and 'to say that I'm not influenced by that would be kind of a lie, just because I am really surrounded by it.' However, Malenfant's work draws inspiration from other areas. In 2021, Malenfant started her clothing brand after deciding that a career in costume design, for which she'd earned an MA at the London College of Fashion, wasn't for her. Her designs take inspiration from vintage aesthetics and the Elizabethan era. While audiences haven't had the opportunity to see all of their work yet, Malenfant and Rosa said the response has been positive. 'I didn't realize how much of a support system I had outside of my friends,' Rosa said. 'To see [other people] supporting me and wishing me the best — it's actually comforting.' As the show premieres, Rosa hopes this season inspires kids not to give up on their dreams and to continue 'old school fashion, where you create patterns and sew and dye.' Advertisement Malenfant said she hopes the season helps people have more confidence in their own abilities to pursue their passions . 'I want to inspire the people who maybe don't think that they can [design], to get out there and just put yourself out there, because it is difficult, but it's rewarding,' Malenfant said. PROJECT RUNWAY Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Freeform, and the next day on Hulu and Disney+, with regular streaming at 10 p.m. after the premiere episodes.
Gulf Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Hala Badri, Dubai Culture DG, speaks at London Art Biennale on art scene
Dubai's creative spirit took the spotlight at the London Art Biennale (LAB, July 16-20) as Hala Badri, Director General of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), delivered a keynote address reflecting on the city's transformation into a global centre for the arts. She spoke about Dubai's innovative approach to cultural policy, noting how public art, a vibrant programme of exhibitions and supportive frameworks, is helping shape a dynamic ecosystem for emerging talent. Hosted at the historic Chelsea Old Town Hall, this year's Biennale brought together 350 artists from 60 countries for a museum-quality showcase of contemporary artwork. The event provided a space for artistic dialogue, attracting practitioners, collectors, and visitors from around the world. With UAE-based contributors among the participants, it strengthened the nation's cultural ties worldwide and encouraged meaningful exchange between the Gulf and the wider global creative community. The Gagliardi Gallery, London. In her address, Hala Badri highlighted the momentum behind Dubai's growing arts scene, underlining Dubai Culture's strong support for both homegrown talent and international collaboration. 'We aspire to make creativity part of the everyday experience — to transform the entire city into a living canvas where expression and imagination are not confined to galleries, but encountered everywhere,' she said. She also pointed to recent milestones, such as the introduction of the Dubai Cultural Grant and the long-term cultural visa, as well as the UAE's emergence as a sought-after venue for major international events. During the Biennale, she toured the exhibition with Aarien Areti, Deputy Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, and Peter Gagliardi, Director at Gagliardi Gallery and a member of the Biennale's curatorial team. While also in London, she joined a guided tour of the Victoria and Albert Museum Storehouse, led by Isabella Valentini, City & Partnerships Officer at the World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF), exploring East Bank with Tamsin Ace, Director of East Bank, where she visited Sadler's Wells East, followed a public art trail, and attended student showcases by the London College of Fashion (LCF). The London College of Fashion. LAB is a museum level award exhibition curated by the International Confederation of Art Critics (ICAC), the Chianciano Art Museum and Gagliardi Gallery. The show is not theme based; so all artistic movements and styles are presented. The focus is on painting, works on paper, sculpture, applied arts and digital art, professionally curated to give viewers and collectors an exciting yet coherent experience, brought together in the iconic Chelsea Old Town Hall. Galleries, critics and clients are able to view and appreciate artworks from all over the world, from the UK to the USA, China to South Africa, and from Norway to Italy, with different cultures, styles, ideas and artistic expressions on view that represent the art world in its global entirety. London galleries are regularly invited to see the Biennale. It is LAB's tradition to give help to people in need. Over the years, tens of thousands of pounds have been raised and donated to Rotary International's 'End Polio Now' Charity, London's Air Ambulance and Age UK, among others. ICAC is an organisation that brings together professionals with expertise in art history, curatorial studies, and related fields. It aims to promote art criticism, ensure ethical and professional standards for art critics, facilitate international communication and exchange, and contribute to the understanding of diverse cultures within the art world. It offers services such as curatorial support, graphic design and catalogue realisation, for art events and publications. Victoria and Albert Museum, main entrance. The Chianciano Art Museum houses a series of collections ranging from Asian art to contemporary art. Approximately a thousand works of art are on display. The museum houses works by artists like Salvador Dalí, Mario Schifano, Frances Turner, Brian Willsher, Tom Nash, Damien Hirst, and Albert Louden; drawings from Guercino to Tiepolo, Munch, Magritte, and Guttuso; historic works from royal collections and etchings and engravings by great masters like Dürer and Rembrandt. Since its inception, the Gagliardi Gallery has been promoting innovation and tradition in the contemporary art scene. It has been involved in organising significant exhibitions not just locally, but internationally, partnering with institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum. The collaborations have helped bring diverse artistic expressions to a broader audience, enhancing the cultural landscape of London and beyond. Hala Badri speaks at London Art Biennale. Founded by Roberto Gagliardi, the Gagliardi Gallery grew from the shared dreams of Roberto, hailing from Italy, and Marie, originally from Sweden; the couple found a common passion in the world of art, which led them to establish the Gagliardi Gallery in the heart of London's prestigious Chelsea district. The gallery extends its influence beyond conventional gallery bounds, by orchestrating major art events like the London Art Biennale and the Chianciano Art Biennale. The prestigious events, held in collaboration with the Chianciano Art Museum in Tuscany, Italy, gather talent from around the globe, offering artists a platform to showcase their work and engage with the international art community. The Gagliardi Family created the Chianciano Art Museum to house their collections. Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) enables and develops the cultural and creative sectors in the emirate as the custodian entity, helping the emirate to define it in both local and global contexts. It manages five of the city's notable heritage monuments, six museums, and eight branches of Dubai Public Libraries.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Karl Stefanovic's daughter Willow puts on a loved-up display with polo-playing boyfriend in Europe
Karl Stefanovic 's daughter Willow is currently living her best life on the French Riviera. The 20-year-old took to Instagram on Thursday to share a glimpse inside of her jet-setting European adventure. In one loved-up photo, Willow was seen beaming as her boyfriend, Argentinian polo player Genaro Abdala Garcia, planted a kiss on her cheek. The couple were perfectly coordinated in matching linen shirts as they cuddled up at a bustling waterfront restaurant. In another photo, Willow flaunted her golden tan in a sleek black midi dress as she wandered the cobblestone streets of St Tropez. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. She wore her brunette locks down and kept her makeup polished and glowing after weeks in the European sun. The model also turned heads in a brown and white halter-neck dress, which she paired with pearl jewellery and oversized sunglasses. It marked a rare public appearance for Genaro, who keeps a low profile and has private social media accounts. According to Woman's Day, the mystery man also works in business banking and finance. The pair reportedly met in Aspen, Colorado, while Willow was holidaying with her father and brothers over Christmas, and they went public with their relationship in May this year. 'Willow has fallen for a wealthy Argentinian polo player who works in business banking and finance – his name is Genaro Abdala, and if she's smitten, he's head over heels!' a source told the publication. 'His family have a place in Spain, and he's been treating her to lavish trips to Ibiza – she's living the high life.' Friends and family took to the comments section to gush over the photos, including her stepmother Jasmine Stefanovic, who wrote: 'Love these.' Others chimed in with compliments like, 'Wow, you look so good' and 'Oh my!' Willow has been documenting her enviable travels across Europe with her 11,000 Instagram followers, most recently attending a dreamy Italian wedding in June. The social media star recently embarked on an overseas venture, moving to London to study fashion. She began her studies in the UK last year and is currently undertaking a degree at the London College of Fashion. It recruits on a global scale and its list of alumni reads like a Who's Who of the creative industries, from illustrator Quentin Blake to Florence Welch of Florence and The Machine.
Business of Fashion
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Business of Fashion
Anderson Apotheosis: JW Remodels His Own Brand
It's no wonder 'in a weird way' is one of Jonathan Anderson's favourite expressions. It seems to be how things happen to him. In the two decades since he graduated from the London College of Fashion, his career has traced a surreal arc from idiosyncratic independent to fashion figurehead. Last week was his debut at Dior. This week he relaunches his own brand with a completely new concept. On the surface, the two exercises couldn't be further apart. In a weird way, they couldn't be closer, joined at the hip by Anderson's own obsessive, compulsive drive. 'I love work,' he crows. 'I could do 24 meetings in a day. I love doing what I do. Is it scary? Of course, it's scary.' But there's never a moment when he manifests nerves, even in the hours leading up to his first show for Dior, when industry anticipation was running as high as I can ever remember it, even as he had hundreds of balls in the air with his own brand JW Anderson. He acknowledges the risk of stopping JWA, slowing everything down and then rebuilding it. 'Maybe I'm maturing as a person,' Anderson rationalises. 'I like to be able to prove something. If I don't feel like the underdog, I will never work. So, in a weird way, we had to rebuild a platform to become the underdog again. Why? Because, if not, I can't get up in the morning.' He spent a good year or so analysing what those impulses actually meant. 'I was thinking of Terence Conran. I love Shaker furniture and I'd been doing some research for myself on how it arrived in Britain through Conran. It became such a trend, and then infiltrated into design systems.' But if Conran revolutionised the way people thought about their homes in the '60s and '70s, Anderson's ambition is more humble. 'I think it's maybe how people see their desk or their coffee table. For me, it's more about the storytelling that you can do with an object, more of an intimate kind of thing, like, I bought this stick chair, and look at this amazing wood, and it's made in this country, and the guy only makes two of them a year. It's a nice story to tell, which is not just about how much something costs.' ADVERTISEMENT JW Anderson (Courtesy) He listens to people like Adam Curtis, the documentarian guru of pre-apocalypsism. Curtis's 'Hypernormalisation' is his favourite documentary. 'I've always wanted to meet with him. We were talking about everything. He thinks we're heading towards this time… it won't be about modernity, as in new fashion or new art. It will be heading towards a different time period, like when Gothic Revival, which was ultimately from 13th century architecture, came to dominate the world in the 19th century.' Anderson's own project tends to the kind of connoisseurship that shaped the golden years of the Wunderkammer, the 1700s, the 1800s, before museums became receptacles of human civilisation, when wide-eyed, well-heeled aesthetes would collect extraordinary objets for their own cabinets of curiosities 'as a way to showcase… a fascination with the diverse and sometimes bizarre aspects of the world.' (Thank you, Wiki). Anderson had an early education in such a magpie sensibility. His grandad would take him antiquing when he was a kid. At university, he worked in Sam Roddick's visionary sex shop Coco de Mer. 'In a weird way, Coco de Mer was a very good example of a curated fetish shop,' he recalls, 'where you could buy anything from Betony Vernon's sex toys through to a first edition of 'Lady Chatterley's Lover.'' His other job was working at the equally curated store 202 Westbourne Grove, where he observed how the buyer would acquire a mirror for €2000 ($2,360) and pass it on to customers for £70,000 ($95,000). The major criterion for his own collection is that everything has to have a story. There will be around 560 items when the website launches on September 1. And once something sells out, it's gone. Maybe 200 items will carry over, but seasonality is less of a concern. 'Instead of discounting things, we just keep them until they sell out,' Anderson says, 'and then we replace them. Because I feel like it's hard having a small business. It really is difficult. I feel for every single person who starts a business, I'm fortunate to have LVMH, but at the same time, we're still a small business with the pressure of a marketplace that is just collapsing. So I'm thinking, 'Let's get the Murano glass guy to make the hardest thing that shows his skill, but in something which looks timeless. Or let's get the best person in the world to reissue the Charles Rennie Mackintosh stool.'' Translation: The 'Murano glass guy' is Marcantonio Brandolini and Anderson has charged his company Laguna-B with creating pieces in an opaque green glass which they don't usually do. The Charles Rennie Mackintosh stool is recreated by a Mackintosh conservator in the black-stained oak he favoured, also available in white and a natural oak. Understandably not cheap, given the degree of expertise involved. JW Anderson (Courtesy) Andrew Bonacina, formerly director/curator at the Hepworth Wakefield museum in West Yorkshire, is putting together an art programme that, in some JW Anderson stores, might mean one single expensive masterpiece, in others, a series of mini-exhibitions of up-and-coming artists throughout the year. That was one thing that always struck me about Anderson's curation of art in Loewe's stores. The selection, say, of a piece of Matthew Ronay sculpture in London or the glorious wall of Howard Hodgkin in Madrid suggested a personal engagement that would be hard to quit, if ever the day of disengagement should come. 'Loewe will exist in part of my vision for as long as it needs to, you know,' Anderson says now, 'but in a weird way, what I realized is when you leave something, it's very difficult. I was trying to comprehend leaving something which I had built in my vision, like I built the entire aesthetic, right down to the Craft Prize, around all the things that I love. The good thing is it'll go, you know, and we will continue with JW, doing the thing that we've been doing, which is putting art into British institutions. We just helped put a painting of Andrew Cranston into a museum.' Or, as CEO Jenny Galimberti puts it, 'Loewe was him, and so now this is him.' And gloriously, perversely so. 'Everything has a little weird meaning to it,' Anderson says. 'I think it is just as accurate as when I did the ruffle shorts. It's the same energy, because ultimately, the ruffle shorts were in a wool that was made in Britain that I was completely obsessed by, which was the same wool that was on the little coat on Paddington Bear when I was a kid. So that threw me into the thing. And now it's, What is that in a tea cup? What is that in a pen? What is that in honey?' JW Anderson (Courtesy) It's like Citizen Kane and his sled named Rosebud, the single plangent memory that unleashes a lifetime. Except that with Jonathan Anderson, everything is Rosebud. The tea cup is by potter Lucie Rie. His collection of her work is one of the world's best, so this launch of a couple of her original designs, coffee cup as well, 3D-printed from her archive in the Sainsbury Centre, is probably his pride and joy. Wedgwood said no when Rie originally proposed these designs decades ago. Anderson has all the original correspondence. It took him a while to convince the company they'd made a terrible mistake. 'I know that I want a set of Lucie Rie,' he says now. 'I've made them in a selfish act for myself.' They're expensive — a cup and saucer will retail for £1000, and only a hundred will be made. They'll probably sell in minutes, such is Rie's audience of collectors. The profits will go to a foundation to preserve the legacy of Rie and her partner Hans Coper, to produce a catalogue raisonné, and to provide grants for young artists. ADVERTISEMENT The pen is made by YARD-O-LED, who are the oldest penmaker in the UK. They've also remade a mechanical pencil for JWA. Originally invented and patented in the early 1800s, it's engraved here with an Oscar Wilde quote: 'The secrets of art are best learned in secret…' The honey is from Houghton Hall, the stately Norfolk home of the Marquess of Cholmondeley. 'Someone I always adore for doing random things is Giorgio Armani, he did honey once,' Anderson free-associates (free association is one of the singular pleasures of this particular project). 'So when I was at Houghton Hall, and I was meeting with Rose, they had honey, and I was like, Okay, I love her, and I love them both, and I just think they're so chic, and I was like, well, I want the honey, because maybe if I have the honey, I would feel like that. And it's all that thing, it's sort of odd, our relationships to certain things, going back to Warhol. And Warhol, for me, as cliché as it will always be, is one of the most modern thinkers in the last 500 years, because I think he was able to do this. And at the same time, it was always sharp.' The jars of honey are capped by squares of traditional honeycomb-patterned Norfolk linen from a weaver named Max Mosscrop. (You can really go down a rabbit hole with this stuff.) JW Anderson (Courtesy) And that's Anderson's ambition with his project. It's the power of the object to hold layers of meaning, be it a Marilyn portrait or a jar of honey: Now that is fetishism at a cargo-cult level. Or, muses Anderson, 'In a weird way, it is about obsession. Warhol was so powerful as the starting point of object, obsession, fame. I remember when I was very, very young, I was obsessed by Andy Warhol to the point where I wanted to buy the wallpaper of the cow. And when the internet started, there used to be online websites where you could do that. Never did, obviously, but I think that will always be in me, this search to find things you know or to bring things together. You know, that's why, in my house, nothing never stays still. It's like a never-ending project.' And there's the core of the quest. As it was with Warhol, where someone paid hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction for a collection of the artist's cookie jars, the power of curatorial personality — Anderson's in this case — infuses and elevates banality. Nothing clarifies that notion more for me than the collection of garden tools on offer at JWA, 200 in all, spades, trowels, hoes, immaculately refurbished by another of Anderson's gifted obsessives whose tool collection had reached a scale where his wife was begging him to divest. A common garden spade, oiled and gleaming, makes me want to get out and dig, but it would also make a perfect Duchampian readymade. Anderson does have a track record with Dada and surrealism, after all. There's a complementary collection of antique watering cans. Don't bother trying to find a logical connection between them and Dean Sameshima's luxuriously embroidered 'Anonymous Faggot' jumper or 'Anonymous Trade' sweatshirt. You're inside someone else's head here. JW Anderson (Courtesy) 'I needed to find a vehicle that was everything that's personal to me, no matter what it is,' Anderson explains. 'It's a weird obsession. It's ultimately me selling myself as these are things I like.' And not just that, but things he always wanted to do. Like chunky gold jewellery. Or real jewellery, which comes to JWA courtesy of a gemhunter named — what else? — Classical Gem Hunter. There will be diamonds. 'I just want five pieces per store, and we do them on beautiful chains. Or a beautiful ribbon. We don't need to remake that idea. You just have to bring it to people, and show that I'm obsessed by this person who finds things. It's not about ownership. It's more about, 'Here it is and I think it looks great.'' Anderson casts his mind back to the spade guy. 'There is no point in over-complicating it, you know? So, in a weird way, the JWA becomes a seal of approval. It's like, we approve this product, we approve this message. It's a fashion royal seal.' He laughs. 'I'm hoping that people are going to look at it and have this fetish to want to buy it.' The obsession carries through to the packaging: the boxes, a year in the making, have an aristocratic heft (that royal warrant thing again), everything else comes in potato sacks, or it's wrapped in the paper used to wrap fish and chips in seaside towns. 'But by redoing it, you kind of get this preciousness.' He feels there are kindred spirits for his concept. 'Just maybe not in fashion. I think Rose Uniacke is very good at how she creates. And there are places in Japan that I go to. I have no idea of their names.' Uniacke is a significant namecheck because her shop on Pimlico Road, a kind of interior designer's row in London, will be a neighbour of Anderson's latest outlet, which is maybe his clearest statement of intent with his brand revamp, because it will be the closest to the kind of world-building that is second nature to people like Uniacke. In the meantime, everything is changing in JWA's universe. The logo has been tweaked to chic. Every store is being completely renovated with softly opulent Uniacke velvet walls defined by a dado rail where all the merchandise will be suspended, Shaker-like, on pegs. That dialogue between excess and austerity is particularly Andersonesque. Architects Sanchez and Banton are of Jonathan's generation, but more commercial than fashion. They're good at practicalities, tight and tidy, so there is a solid functionality in fittings. Shelving is hung from the pegs along with everything else. It's all for sale, and customisable. ADVERTISEMENT As the concept rolls out globally, each shop will ultimately be its own little world, shored up by the work of local artisans. But the corner store in Pimlico will probably be the one where JWA's idiosyncrasies find their fullest expression. In summertime, there might be garden furniture. Or asparagus. Jonathan is obsessed with asparagus. He also loves the idea of someone marching in and ordering six stick chairs for their dining table. 'This, for me, will be the day that I open a bottle of champagne. Because that's exciting to me. And then, at the same time, they can buy a beautiful cashmere sweater that says 'Anonymous Faggot,' as a kind of conceptual act, a fashion object, an art object. JW Anderson (Courtesy) Or maybe they'll be drawn to explore the rest of Anderson's offering. Oh look, a stork scissor from Ernest Wright in Sheffield. Didn't they stop making those a century ago? Good lord, is that a Lucie Rie teacup? And what the hell is coffee-tea? (It's exactly that, a hybrid created by Postcard Teas that's the make up of tea but the taste of coffee.) The big question is on its hind legs, begging: what's the object that speaks to Anderson the most? 'The handwoven damask silk shorts,' he answers instantly. 'I was restoring a Chippendale chair and I needed to get fabric for it and I was looking at the Dumfries House renovation because Prince Charles had commissioned all the artisans in Britain who historically would have made things like the type of silk Chippendale would have used, the exact silk that I'm obsessed by. We found the supplier and I said, 'OK, we need to order this fabric, in the three colours, a blue, a yellow, a green.' For me, this is as fetishistic as anything you can get. It's expensive because it is incredibly difficult to do. It is what you would use on walls and chairs, and I love the idea of the walls, the chair and the guy on the chair in the shorts, with the slipper.' The fetishism extends to the label on the shorts. 'When I first started my brand, way before it became a brand, I used to sell jewellery in a shop called Toosee, and the very first label that I ever had was a copy of a Paquin label from the 20s. I had bought this black blouse by Paquin and inside was a triangular label which was the standard way of doing labels in the 20s. And when we were researching this project, I thought we should go back to this original label, when I was not what I am today.' For the look book, which will be the way most people encounter his re-brand, Anderson selected a 35-strong cast of longtime collaborators and people he admires. People curation: quintessentially Warholian. So there's his partner, artist Pol Anglada, and collaborator, director Luca Guadagnino. There is artist Enrico David and musician Oliver Sim; actress Hailey Gates, and the dancer from Anderson's Drink Your Milk campaign. Bella Freud he met years ago at a party when her father Lucian asked him for a cigarette. There are also instructive little videos matching Anderson's characters with his various objects. Joe Alwyn clearly knows his way around a honey dipper. JW Anderson (Courtesy) 'I need to learn here, and I need to re-learn what I love in myself,' Anderson muses. 'This project feels honest to me. This is exactly where I should be right now. Yes, JW Anderson could do a fashion show. And we may do a fashion show when I feel like there is a need to do one. But I don't want people to be like, 'Oh, another fashion show.' I would rather someone goes in and is, like, 'Why do I feel the urge to buy a pot of honey?'' Joe, pass the dipper please.
Euronews
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
What will Jonathan Anderson bring to Dior as new creative director?
The world of football makes regular headlines for huge money-spinning transfers as fans eagerly anticipate what wonders players will bring to their team. This week has seen one of the biggest moves in the fashion business with the iconic French maison Dior now hoping Jonathan Anderson will liberally sprinkle his magic dust about its men's and women's collections to boost its fortunes. For almost a decade, the Northern Irish designer led the LVMH-owned Spanish fashion house Loewe – an unmitigated success story, increasing the brand's annual revenues fivefold. Now, he steps into a historic role at Dior, becoming the first person since Christian Dior himself to serve as its sole creative director. It's a major moment for the 40-year-old designer, whose journey began far from the runways of Paris. Born in Magherafelt, a small town in Northern Ireland, Anderson left home at 18 to pursue acting in the US. He later changed course and returned to Europe. Drawing on his childhood passion for theatre and costume, he decided to study at the London College of Fashion, where he graduated. Last year, Anderson was named one of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine, praising 'his innate understanding of how fashion and human behavior intertwine' and how 'his work is always ahead of the curve'. His sense of cultural timing has been noticeable throughout the years. Think back to February 2020, just before the world shut down, Harry Styles was rehearsing for the Today show in a colourful, patchwork JW Anderson cardigan. The knitted sweater quickly went viral on TikTok, where users began crocheting their own versions – unaware of just how much time lockdown would soon give them to perfect their craft skills. Another example is Rihanna's headline-making pregnancy reveal at the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show, where she wore a striking all-red jumpsuit and breastplate designed by Anderson. The bold look subtly confirmed her second pregnancy to millions watching worldwide, creating a viral craze. Or when Anderson decided to make then 87-year-old Dame Maggie Smith the face of Loewe campaign, showing that fashion doesn't have an age. In aVogue Business interview Dior CEO Delphine Arnault called him 'the most talented designer of his generation.' Praising his experience at Loewe and leadership within the group, Arnault added, 'He has great experience managing large teams, even though he is only 40. More importantly, he has a very clear vision for the brand.' Anderson steps into the role following former creative director for women's collections, Maria Grazia Chiuri. The Italian designer Grazia Chiuri was also celebrated by Arnault for her 'tremendous work with an inspiring feminist perspective and exceptional creativity, all imbued with the spirit of Monsieur Dior, which allowed her to design highly desirable collections.' Arnault said, 'She has written a key chapter in the history of Christian Dior, greatly contributing to its remarkable growth and being the first woman to lead the creation of women's collections.' Anderson is competitive by nature – something he may have inherited from his father, Willie Anderson, a former Ireland international rugby player. Anderson sees clear parallels between sports and fashion, once telling The Independent: 'Sportspeople are extremely competitive – to win. And in fashion, when you see someone do something brilliant, it drives you to do something better… to keep outdoing yourself". His parents have always been supportive. In an interview with The Irish News, they said, 'They believed in a kid who had monumental talent, and we were the same. We saw something in Jonathan. And then we went about ensuring in his early days that we could help him fulfil his dream. You'll do anything for your kid if you believe their dream is not something that's beyond them.' His father Willie even admitted that he and Anderson's mother Heather 're-mortgaged the house to try and get him through certain points.' In 2008, he launched his eponymous label, JW Anderson, in which LVMH acquired a minority stake in 2013. In 2015, JW Anderson made history at the British Fashion Council's Fashion Awards by becoming the first house to win both Menswear and Womenswear Brand of the Year in the same year. The brand is known for blurring the line between men's and womenswear, often labeled androgynous or gender-bending, though Anderson himself prefers the term "unisex". Thankfully for his parents and their home, Anderson has more than delivered. Due to conservation protection, shooting films at the Auschwitz site is not possible. In order to meet the needs of filmmakers, the Auschwitz Museum has made a digital replica, which was created "out of the growing interest of directors in the history of the German camp," explains Bartosz Bartyzel, a spokesman for the museum, in an interview with Euronews Culture. Euronews Culture: Where did the idea to create a digital replica of Auschwitz come from? Bartosz Bartyzel: The Auschwitz Museum has been working with filmmakers for many years - both documentary filmmakers and feature film directors. However, due to the conservation protection of the authentic Memorial Site, it is not possible to shoot feature films at the site. The idea to create a digital replica was born out of the need to respond to the growing interest in the history of the Auschwitz German camp in cinema and the daily experience of dealing with the film industry. This tool offers an opportunity to develop this cooperation in a new, responsible and ethical formula. Why is a replica necessary? B.B.: The regulations in force at the Memorial preclude the possibility of shooting feature films on the authentic and protected site of the former camp. However, filmmakers - especially those who want to reach for more narrative forms - need a space that allows them to tell the story faithfully. With a digital replica, they can do this without compromising the integrity of the historic site. Were filmmakers consulted with before the implementation? B.B.: In fact, it was the day-to-day collaboration with filmmakers and the production needs and challenges they reported that inspired the project. The idea was not detached from reality - on the contrary, it was born out of specific conversations, experiences and questions that had been coming from the creative community for years. Who was involved in the creative process? How long did it last? B.B.: The Picture from Auschwitz project is a joint initiative of the Auschwitz Museum, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation and a team of technology specialists led by Maciej Żemojcin. The very concept crystallised over several months in the course of joint work and discussions. The technical team used the most advanced spatial scanning technologies to create a digital replica of the Auschwitz I camp. At the moment, the Foundation is making efforts to raise the funds needed to continue the project - to create a digital replica of the grounds of Auschwitz II-Birkenau, as well as the interiors of some of the buildings. What reactions did you receive after the announcement of the creation of the replica? B.B.: The reactions were definitely positive - both from the film community, which sees this as a viable and professional working tool, and from the general public, for whom this is an opportunity to learn about history in a deeper and more authentic way through the medium of film. The project has also been recognised in international debate, including at the Marché du Film in Cannes. Are there already willing filmmakers who will benefit from the replica? B.B.: We have already started discussions with the first filmmakers who have expressed an interest in collaborating using the digital replica. The details of these projects remain at the agreement stage for the time being, but we hope to be able to provide more information on the first productions soon. How has this project been funded and what will it take to sustain it? B.B.: The creation of the replica is financed by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation from earmarked donations made by private donors. The Foundation is seeking funds to continue the project. Its assumption is that ultimately the maintenance and development of the programme will be financed through licence fees paid by film producers who will use the materials within the Virtual Film Location. This way, the project will become a self-financing tool, simultaneously supporting the educational and commemorative mission of the Memorials. What difficulties have arisen in implementing the project? B.B.: Such large and innovative projects always face difficulties. One of the biggest was, of course, obtaining adequate funding to start and develop the project. A key challenge was also the need to reconcile high-tech solutions with the very special status of the space we were mapping. Although we are working in a digital environment, we must not forget that every step we take concerns an authentic Memorial, which is subject to unique protection. This must be a priority thought in every action.
