Jonathan Anderson skips Paris, Milan and London… What could this mean?

The provisional schedules of London Fashion Week, Paris and Milan Fashion Week Men’s have officially been released, and while the industry exclaims over noteworthy debuts and fervently awaited returns, one name missing from all of the schedules has reignited suspicions as to what may be on the horizon.

At the centre of the ever-evolving game of creative director musical chairs, Jonathan Anderson’s name has been thrown into a myriad of rumours and industry hypotheses theorising as to if he will take the helm of an acclaimed fashion house. Some of these luxury labels have continued to operate sans a creative head, while others have been subject to speculation regarding the longevity of their current leadership, thus creating space for guessing games as to who could lead these respective brands into a new era of success.

Anderson’s absence from all of his usual haunts–in London and Milan, where he has long exhibited JW Anderson, and in Paris, where Loewe, the Spanish brand he has been leading since 2013, has become a mainstay–has relit this fire, and once again places the question of his impending future back onto everybody’s lips. Where did this speculation derive from, however?

Industry rumours aside, social media deduced a number of notable points in analysing the behaviour of both the Northern Irish designer and guests at Loewe’s SS25 show, held in Paris in September. Internet sleuths pointed to an apparent excess of emotion from Anderson upon taking his final bow, while influential onlookers in the audience gave the designer a standing ovation. Multiple media outlets–including Highsnobiety and Miss Tweed–have also long played into discussions of Anderson’s departure from Loewe and, coupled with the release of a commemorative book, the fervour has not died down.

From reports of sale talks to an LVMH spring clean: Speculation prevails

Speculation has also previously been drawn surrounding his namesake brand, JW Anderson. In June, a report by the media platform Puck alleged that Anderson had been meeting with executives of Fast Retailing, which he has previously collaborated with on Uniqlo collections. This time, however, discussions were believed to be linked to a potential acquisition of JW Anderson by the Japanese retail giant, suggesting that the brand was on the path of splitting from its current minority stakeholder, LVMH.

The luxury giant and a source close to Anderson, however, rebuffed these claims, telling the platform’s writer, Lauren Sherman, that both parties were happy with how the brand was proceeding under LVMH before noting that it was not for sale. While such a proceeding may never come to fruition, Sherman did state that it was clear Anderson was “contemplating the details of his next act”.

And where will that be, exactly? Nothing has yet been confirmed, though a series of informed guesses have made the rounds. Puck’s Sherman noted comprehensible ties to Prada, Anderson having previously worked under the direction of Miuccia Prada’s “right hand” Manuela Pavesi, who passed away in 2015. Gucci has also been thrown into the mix amid largely unsubstantiated doubt over current creative director Sabato de Sarno’s efforts to revitalise the brand. However, it is Loewe sister brand, Dior, that seems to have a firm grip on the reins in this respect.

Some industry insiders are so certain of this change of hands that they have stated a takeover is imminent. Miss Tweed cited several industry sources when making this claim, with the prediction setting the industry gossip wheels in motion, as discussions then began mounting as to where Dior’s current creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, would go, if proved true.

With the year still to wrap up, should the industry be preparing for another turn on the creative director merry-go-round? It’s likely. Yet, as the conclusion to 2024 draws near, anticipation for what luxury’s 2025 landscape will look like under the direction new faces continues to mount, and with it, the guessing games prevail.