The designer discusses JW Anderson's Men's Spring/Summer 2022 and Cruise 2022 collections while reflecting on the state of adolescence today.

<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/men/gilbert-and-george-art-jonathan-anderson-designer-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonathan Anderson</a> has once again teamed up with German photographer <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/jw-anderson-fall-winter-2021-collection-fashion-show-future" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Juergen Teller</a> to present both <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/jw-anderson-mens-fall-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JW Anderson</a>'s Cruise 2022 and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/men/milan-fashion-week-mens-trends-spring-summer-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Men's Spring/Summer 2022</a> collections. This Paris Fashion Week, Anderson decided to present his collections via a series of 33 photographs taken by Teller, for whom this marks his third collaboration with Anderson.
"I liked the idea of creating something that felt a bit like going back to school. When I was younger, we took pictures at school and then we took these photo packs and passepartout frames to take home. I liked the concept that each photo is able to stand on its own. You could even put it on the fireplace," Anderson explains. Intimacy and self-expression are the words that the designer uses to tell the inspiration of the collection: "This season we focused on this idea of 'almost in the bedroom'. The kind of glorification of being who you are or what you want to be: the idea of the privacy of the individual."
For a better understanding of the designer's mindset behind both collections, L'OFFICIEL spoke with Anderson about his career, creative process, and vision for his brand.

JW Anderson

L'OFFICIEL: Where does the inspiration for the Men's Spring/Summer 2022 and Cruise 2022 collection come from?
Jonathan Anderson: This time, the inspiration came from looking back on my teenage years. Since the beginning of the year, I have been thinking a lot about the new generations who have missed a fundamental period of their life. Somehow, the pandemic took that too. When you go to university, often for the first year you work very little in order to make room for new friendships, parties and experiments also related to the sexual sphere. The collection is meant to be a reflection on what happened, and for me, this is a strange and personal collection. I tried to speak to the interrupted boys and girls of today, isolated in their room, experimenting with themselves, or simply singing in front of a mirror.
 LO: As a creative director, the creative process is very important to you. Which phase of it do you prefer and why?
JWA: I think my favorite phase when building a collection is when I spot the first look. Even if a look is not complete and explanatory for the entire collection, it first establishes the character of the collection. It always happens, and when I find it, it always makes me say: "This is the impression I've looked for from which the collection will come to life."

LO: How did you decide to present it this time?
JWA: We worked on a photographic series with <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/kristen-stewart-behind-the-scenes-chanel-metiers-dart-pre-fall-2021campaign" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Juergen Teller</a>. He was a point of reference for me during the pandemic process. He also helped me to understand myself in a certain sense, and he was the perfect person to capture the collection. For me he is very good; he has a sensitivity developed to quickly capture normality and emotion in beauty. LO: With your brand JW Anderson, you have collaborated with many artists and photographers. What do you like most about combining your vision with an artistic practice?
JWA: The thing I find most interesting about collaborating with artists and photographers is discovering new people. When you start working with other people, in some way, you get to know yourself even more. I had never worked with Juergen Teller before the pandemic, and with him, I discovered new things and even new obsessions of mine that I thought I didn't have. This is a part of the creative process that I love. LO: This is the third time you have worked with Teller&mdash;what is it like working with him?
JWA: He makes me enjoy what I do even more. Juergen is incredible because he is free and at the same time, he frees the people he collaborates with. He is capable of creating with a spontaneous, effortless approach. I am eager to continue our collaborative efforts in the future. LO: You deeply study the shapes and proportions of clothes without ever forgetting the details. How important are prints, finishes, and accessories in the big picture?
JWA: I think the list you made should include the tactility of the materials and also the use of color. For me, everything is contextualized by sensoriality&mdash;we are all focused on perceiving suggestions and stimulating our senses, and this helps me in dividing the good from the bad taste. Somehow, I want to perceive the emotions I feel too. I would like to entertain or at least smile.

LO: How would you describe your aesthetic?
JWA: I think I've always seen and regarded myself as a cultural agitator. By reflex, I would reply that my aesthetic is subversive. LO: If you were to think about your career, how has your men's wardrobe changed compared to your first collections?
JWA: I'm starting to feel that at this point I'm starting to go back. I feel like I'm living in a loop. I started to re-appreciate things that I liked even before, and that is something I thought I would never get to do. But if I think about it, returning to a path that has already been traced is something strange yet equally fascinating. LO: What is the biggest challenge with your JW Anderson brand?
JWA: When you have two brands in your hands, you always try to renew them every time. And this takes a lot of energy. I am always trying to find new obsessions for both realities to re-invent them from time to time, and not to let things stay the same or stuck forever. LO: Why the idea of including a squirrel in the lookbook along with the models?
JWA: This is something Juergen Teller and I thought of together. He has great skill in taking photos of animals, too. For example, there are some spectacular photos with <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/saint-laurent-spring-summer-2021-short-film-anthony-vaccarello-leo-reilly-jim-jarmusch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charlotte Rampling</a> taken with a fox. I must admit it was quite difficult because the squirrel was running everywhere, but when you see the photo taken by Juergen, it is impressive. LO: Is there anything you would like to share or communicate?
JWA: We are at a time when we have to go through this pandemic period, which is not to be rushed. It's okay not to have a show and just be creative with other media. We are at a time when we need to find and discover new solutions and take new paths.

Jonathan Anderson on His Men's Spring/Summer 2022, Cruise 2022 Collections

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