Jonathan Anderson founded his designer label JW Anderson, not in fashion school, but in his basement, creating cowboy-esque looks with fur and latex paisley. Eighteen years later, fresh off a plane coming from Paris Fashion Week, he spoke to rising creatives at USC as Dior’s newest creative director.
“It’s all very easy,” Anderson said sarcastically, as he opened up about his tumultuous journey navigating the fashion industry. “You start off with the journey of being a creative person, and then through that journey, you will suddenly work on what you wanna do.”
On March 12, USC hosted its inaugural conversation of the Distinguished Speaker Series on Fashion with Anderson, moderated by W Magazine editor-in-chief Sara Moonves. The series was started by USC alum and Mode Operandi co-founder Lauren Santo Domingo to encourage fashion literacy in rising creatives.
Annenberg dean Willow Bay opened the series describing fashion as a space where art and design, media, identity, public performance and business innovation converge.
“Fashion kind of does that right?” Bay said. “It intersects with so many of the things that we study and we care about.”
Before becoming the successful brand he is today, Anderson was rejected from every fashion school he applied to. Determined to pursue fashion, he created JW Anderson, and bankrupted himself three to four times. He recalled people coming into his studio and removing computers, fabrics and staples as he struggled to pay his bills.
Despite all odds, his sheer talent caught the attention of designer Donatella Versace of Versace, who asked him to create a fashion show for their “Versus” line in the span of three months. He then sold a portion of JW Anderson to conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH), and recalled the timing being perfect.
LVMH was looking for a creative director for Loewe, and Anderson was the right fit.
When Anderson was offered the job as Dior’s creative director, all he could say was “Amazing!”
In reality, the designer struggled to let go of Loewe, feeling responsible for the architectural, disruptive brand it is today. Before Anderson, Loewe was a small luxury brand that did not have a sure identity.
Today, Loewe’s identity is Anderson’s own identity.
“It was made in my image…It was an amazing romance.” Anderson said. “So then you have this weird moment where it’s like you go through a divorce…but now I have a new partner.”
In contrast, entering Dior meant Anderson was in a fashion house with years of culture-defining history. Speaking about stepping into that role, he said the pressure of designing changed dramatically. Unlike building his own brand, he explained, leading Dior meant working within a legacy already shaped by decades of history, expectations and public scrutiny. Anderson took a break for the first time in eleven years of working at LVMH, hiking to rediscover his vision for fashion.
“When you put something new out there for something that people have an expectation of, you will never meet expectation,” he said, in response to people’s confusion over his first Dior collection. “They have to reject it first.”
Today, Anderson defines Dior as “fantasy.” He interprets Dior as a company that sells new ideas in fashion, not just craftsmanship. As the brand is able to transcend ephemeral fashion trends, Anderson said it should not be restricted to realism, but fantasy, to show the world something new. This idea is the backbone of Anderson’s work in the fashion house, as lilies and water fountains inspired the draped silhouette of his recent womenswear collection.
Throughout the conversation, Anderson returned to the idea that fashion is collaborative and constantly evolving, shaped by teams, revision and images.
“The process never ends,” he said. “That’s what I’m addicted to – that process of bringing people into a room, finding newness in something we all wear.”
“It’s about getting all the different people in the room to create magic,” Moonves added, talking about the creative process within W Magazine as well.
In spite of his reputation, Anderson admitted he is never finished with a collection until the day it goes on the runway. There is always something that can be resown, restitched. The only time a collection ends is when the show is finished, and yet Anderson still looks back on what he could have changed once more.
“Fashion is the greatest moment of rejection. You do something and you have to reject it,” Anderson said. “Then you start again.”
The event was part of a new speaker series developed with the support of USC alum Lauren Santo Domingo, designed to bring leading figures in fashion ot campus. Bay said the goal is to create a space where students can engage directly with influential voices in the industry while exploring fashion as an artistic practice, a global business and a cultural force shaping contemporary media and identity.
When asked about what they thought of Generation Z entering the fashion industry, Moonves and Anderson said it was “inspiring” to see how curious students were about the field.
As for advice, Anderson said to surround oneself with competition to get a better sense of who you are, and what makes you unique. Most importantly, he reminds students to continue working towards their dreams.
“Do not compromise,” Anderson said, “Because if you really want something, it will happen.”