Inside Jonathan Anderson's remarkable rise
A Derry man has been appointed the new sole creative director of Dior, taking control of both the men's and women's collections as well as the accessory lines.
Jonathan Anderson was born in Magerafelt in the Northern Ireland county in 1984.
Here is everything you need to know about the Northern Irish man… Jonathan Anderson was born in Magerafelt in the Northern Ireland county in 1984. Pic:for The Met Museum/Vogue
When he was 18 years old, Jonathan made the move to the United States to pursue a career in acting, however during his time at Juilliard School he became more interest in the art of costume design.
On returning to Ireland, Jonathan got his first fashion job at a Brown Thomas store in Dublin, and later made the move to London where he graduated as part of the class of 2005 in London College of Fashion.
The Derry native worked as a visual merchandiser with Prada before launching his own label, JW Anderson, in 2008. Jonathan Anderson worked as a visual merchandiser with Prada before launching his own label, JW Anderson, in 2008. Pic:JW Anderson was well received by critics and in 2012 secured a collaboration with fashion retailer, Topshop, called JW Anderson x Topshop.
The line sold out within hours and led to a follow-up collaboration between the fashion label and shop in February 2013.
A few months later in September 2013, LVMH — who own brands including Louis Vuitton and Moet — invested a minority state in JW Anderson. Jonathan was then appointed the new creative director for LOEWE.
Earlier this year, Anderson stepped down from his role with LOEWE, giving room for him to be appointed as the artistic director of Dior menswear.
This month, Jonathan has been appointed the sole creative director across the brand. One such iconic outfit that was a creation of Jonathan's was the red outfit Rihanna donned when she performed during half-time of the 2023 Super Bowl. Pic: REX
Jonathan has dressed some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry including Beyoncé, Cate Blanchett, Daniel Craig and Zendaya.
One such iconic outfit that was a creation of Jonathan's was the red outfit Rihanna donned when she performed during half-time of the 2023 Super Bowl.
The performance double as the singer's chance to reveal she was expecting her second baby with rapper A$AP Rocky.
The Barbadian superstar donned an all-red look for her half-time performance, with a perfect baby bump visible underneath the jumpsuit she was wearing.
Anderson is the son of former rugby international, Willie Anderson, who represented Ireland from 1984 to 1990, and ex-school teacher Heather Buckley.
He has one brother, Thomas, who followed their father into professional rugby. Thomas played as a flanker for Ulster and Connacht, before hanging up his boots in 2011.
Jonathan divides his time across Paris and London, and is in a relationship with Catalan artist Pol Anglada, whose art the New Yorker previously said often appears on JW Anderson designs.
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Even if there is yet to be any tangible impact from these threats, the combination of lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny has had a chilling effect on brands and DEI, ad bosses say. Richard Exon, co-founder of independent creative advertising agency Joint, says that commitment to DEI 'has recently become a politicised position' in the US. Larger businesses were facing the challenge of achieving broad appeal in a highly polarised media landscape, he adds. 'It's not surprising if these larger businesses proceed more cautiously on social justice issues.' Some marketers say they are being more closely monitored by their boards about delivery, with the focus now on effectiveness of campaigns that can yield tangible sales. Brands are often working with tightened budgets, says one UK advertising boss, meaning that 'anything unrelated to pure growth, including purpose, could be seen as a distraction and therefore harder to gain traction within a business'. But the move in the cultural landscape has also shifted marketing budgets, with organisers of Pride marches and other LGBT+ events saying that there has been a retreat from corporate sponsors this year in the US and the UK. In New York, a number of sponsors such as Mastercard did not renew their top-tier corporate sponsorships of Pride. Mastercard said that, this year, it was 'proudly participating in the NYC Pride March and related events with a strong employee-led presence and a community engagement programme'. [ A quarter of major US corporate backers pull out of Dublin Pride over Trump fears Opens in new window ] Polly Shute, founder of Out & Wild, the UK's largest LGBT+ festival and former board member of Pride in London, says that corporate sponsors have been less keen to back events. Plymouth and Liverpool have both pulled their Pride march events – the latter blaming 'significant financial and organisational challenges' at a time of rising costs. Shute says that, in 2017, Pride 'was turning brands away as they did not meet criteria' but 'it's very different now'. She notes that some brands and companies had stopped changing their logos to Pride colours on social media such as LinkedIn. In the UK, these include firms that have extensive operations in the US such as WPP, Linklaters and Freshfields. Linklaters said its 'commitment remains unchanged. We are proud to be celebrating Pride at Linklaters ... with events and activities taking place across our global offices'. Freshfields has used other Pride branding this year, including a Pride banner across its LinkedIn page. Shute says that demand for influencers to be used in external marketing, and for speakers for internal corporate events, has also been more muted this year. 'It used to be that the social media was really positive but now the reaction has scared off sponsorship as they don't want to be associated with the negativity.' However, dog treats company BarkBox showed there are dangers in shifting positions. Matt Meeker, the group's chief executive, was forced to apologise after a leaked Slack message suggested the company would pause paid advertising for its Pride kit, with the 'current climate' making such promotions 'feel like a political statement'. Target, the US retailer, has also been boycotted by some customers since February owing to its decision to scale back DEI initiatives. 'Target is another example recently where a changed policy has resulted in people voting with their wallets and from a purchase perspective,' says FCB's Turnbull. The People's Union USA, a grassroots consumer-led group, has organised 'economic blackouts' against other companies such as Amazon, Walmart and General Mills. [ Meta introduces advertising to WhatsApp in push for new revenues Opens in new window ] 'This blackout isn't symbolic. It's strategic. We are the economy. We are the machine they profit off of. And it's time to show them what happens when the machine stops,' it says. These shifting cultural sands – and the now ever present risk of alienating customers on any side of a political or societal divide – means that it is in brands' interest to play it safe, according to marketers. 'People are just leaning back, particularly our big clients,' says one ad boss. 'There's just less of a focus on purposeful, super-targeted work right now.' Some point to a focus on humour or universal themes as risk-free ways to get to the biggest audiences. The shift is particularly sensitive at the Cannes Lions festival, which for several years was seen by some as having moved potentially too far towards social issues in the sorts of advertising work it celebrated and rewarded. In Cannes, much of the talk was about how AI would replace a lot of the work carried out by creative teams, resulting in unoriginal and bland advertising campaigns, exacerbating the shift to safety-first approaches. But some are hopeful that the industry can withstand external pressures, finding new and clever ways to reach audiences irrespective of political allegiances. And they point out that Cannes Lions still has an award for work that addresses inequality and prejudice by representing and empowering marginalised communities. 'Purpose always has a place,' says Karen Martin, boss of BBH and president of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. 'Cannes may have become too purposeful for a while, but getting different creative voices in the room, and making sure you are addressing all audiences, will always be the centre of what we do.' – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
