Treasured Items... JW Anderson

Born in a small town in County Londonderry, Jonathan William Anderson originally wanted to pursue a career in acting. Thankfully for our wardrobes, whilst learning the art of treading the boards, he soon realised that he preferred the costumes to the dramatic action and went on to study menswear at the London College of Fashion. His eponymous line made its debut at London Fashion Week back in 2007 with an audacious collection that was characterised by the use of real insects in jewellery. A dark and somewhat sinister, Rasputin-inspired AW08 collection followed, before Anderson made his real breakthrough with the highly acclaimed SS09 collection, An Eye for an Eye. Drenched in historical referencing, inspired by religious paraphernalia, mythical characters and societies bound in traditions, the collective imagination was ignited. A well measured step into womenswear followed and that suddenly propelled the designer on to the international stage and he has captivated an ever growing audience ever since. 

 The design talent has barely had time to look back on a remarkable rise but we asked J.W. Anderson to sift through his wardrobe and reveal his most treasured item. We've previously discussed how a treasured item should stand the test of time and his pick has certainly done that...

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J.W and the personalised swimming hoodie

"I've had this sweatshirt ever since I was nine years old. it was part of my training kit and came with matching shorts that would now be far too obscene to wear. I love a hoodie, I love the ease of them but this, with my initials chain stitched in to it to help differentiate it from my brother and sister's who were also part of the same club. I loved swimming, I swam for this club and then for Ulster but then I moved to London and started smoking, ha. 

Now, I just wear it when I get the end of my laundry cycle but I love it. This is the only thing that has survived through time and various moves. It just hangs on in there." J.W. Anderson

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