As soon as rumours began swirling around Jonathan Anderson’s appointment at Dior, fans of his eponymous label JW Anderson speculated about its future. And now, a week after his Dior Men debut, Anderson has spoken: JW Anderson will not be shuttered, as feared by some. But it will undergo a total reboot, to become a lifestyle label that sells homeware, collectibles, art and even honey, alongside fashion.
Ever the shrewd businessman, Anderson is responding to market trends that have seen the siloes between luxury categories dissolve in recent years. As it becomes harder and harder to sell new clothes (particularly to young, price-sensitive consumers who might have previously bought into JW Anderson), the designer is applying his magpie-like sense for objects of desire to curate a new type of label, perhaps with more intergenerational appeal.
JW Anderson 2.0 will eschew the fashion show calendar and focus on product curation, be it a branded gardening trowel, a pair of silk shorts made from handwoven Damask upholstery fabric, or coffee-flavoured tea from London’s Postcard Teas. The brand vision was officially unveiled on Monday during appointments at Paris space Galerie Joseph, with dresses hanging from hooks, Ernest Wright scissors in a glass display cabinet and a patterned wool blanket draped over a Loewe chair. As described in the release, the fashion is both a “‘best of’ JW Anderson and a prelude to new evolutions”, including coloured knits and scarves, fresh iterations of the loafer bag, and fluoro or paillette dresses.
Ahead of the presentation, Anderson released some early teasers last week from the resort and spring 2026 lookbook, featuring key figures from his creative community. Think film director Luca Guadagnino holding a branded chequered scarf, and fashion designer Bella Freud in a striped jumper with buttons along the sleeves. The full resort lookbook, released on Monday, features another crop of Anderson-adjacent names, from actors Joe Alwyn, Ben Whishaw and Alison Oliver, to collaborators from Anderson’s time at Loewe: Julian Labagh, Loewe global PR director, and Danielle Goldberg, stylist to Loewe talents like Greta Lee and Ayo Edebiri.
Any brand reimagining comes with risk. But Dior parent group LVMH acquired a minority stake in JW Anderson in 2013, providing a buffer that most independent labels cannot afford. And this bold move from one of fashion’s most revered brand-builders may have a lot to teach luxury labels today, as they continue to face economic challenges and an increasingly discerning consumer.
Here’s why:
Harnessing homeware potential
During his tenure at Loewe, Anderson launched scented candles in 2020, which quickly became a popular entry-level item for brand fans (they retail from £85). But with the designer’s sense for aesthetic trends and viral, covetable pieces, he is well placed to curate a wider offering of design collectibles under JW Anderson 2.0. The first collection features re-editions of Charles Rennie Mackintosh lamps and stools in Scottish oak, Jason Mosseri Hope Spring Chairs, ceramics by Akiko Hirai, hand-picked books and antique gardening tools, Lucie Rie mugs, hand-blown Murano glassware, Welsh blankets and hand-forged nails.
Anderson is responding to wider market trends, as consumers increasingly seek “future heirlooms” over more transitory clothing purchases. The global home and garden market is set to grow 1.3 per cent to $122 billion this year, according to market research firm Euromonitor. During the same period, the broader luxury goods market is set to grow 4.3 per cent to $147 billion. Within luxury, designer apparel and footwear, however, is forecast to grow just 0.68 per cent, per Euromonitor estimates.
Brands are already leaning into the shift. At Milan Design Week in April, Louis Vuitton unveiled a home collection, including furniture, lighting, tableware and game pieces, while The Row launched a homeware line featuring handwoven, 100 per cent cashmere blankets and bed linens.
“Amid tightening budgets, more luxury fashion brands are expanding into cross-vertical products and embracing lifestyle elements to create immersive experiences that deepen emotional connections, enhance the brand experience, and introduce new revenue touchpoints,” says Fflur Roberts, head of luxury goods at Euromonitor International. “The home has increasingly become a central hub, evolving into a multipurpose space for living, working, sleeping, eating, entertaining and exercising, a trend amplified by hybrid work models. This has led to an increased prioritisation of spending on the home, with luxury fashion brands significantly expanding their offerings.”
Homeware has become one of the most “dynamic and emotionally resonant categories” at Harrods, says buying director Simon Longland, who feels the revamped JW Anderson brand aligns well with the retailer’s consumers. “We’re seeing strong demand for pieces that elevate the everyday — not just in function, but in form and narrative. Design, provenance and individuality are now as important in the home as they are in fashion.”
A foray into food
In a surprising move, alongside homeware and fashion, JW Anderson will stock honey from British stately home Houghton Hall (£20) and coffee-flavoured tea from London tea shop Postcard Teas (£30). While it’s a small offering for now, this foray into food could be a smart way to invite entry-level customers into the brand universe, experts agree. (The brand is also employing sensory, food-based marketing, akin to Anderson’s viral Loewe tomato. Early campaign images released last week featured a gold ring placed atop a lemon.)
With the aspirational shopper pulling back spend on luxury fashion in recent years, food has emerged as a key category post-pandemic and young consumers are increasingly shifting to invest in smaller daily indulgences like a $25 Erewhon smoothie or a Prada-branded coffee. Depop founder Simon Beckerman left the company to launch food marketplace platform Delli, which has raised over £16 million in funding as of September 2024, providing local, artisanal food to Gen Z via hundreds of sellers.
“Food is in some ways the new merch,” fashion critic and creator Osama Chabbi says. “Instead of being obsessed with what music or fashion people like, we’re now also obsessed with what people eat. And JW Anderson [selling honey or tea] is smarter than all of these branded beach takeovers or restaurants, because this is something you can take home.”
Curation is king
In the age of the algorithm, retailers have been criticised for a lack of differentiation in terms of product assortments, causing consumer fatigue. One of the biggest challenges facing bricks-and-mortar retail today is dwell time, creative branding consultant Richard Gray says, so brands must reconsider their stores to create further intrigue, boost dwell and create more opportunities to shop.
Post-reboot, JW Anderson is prioritising cross-category product curation, unique to each boutique, inspired by the Paris concept store Colette, which was known for its unique mix of fashion, art, design and food before its closure in 2017. A new store concept, designed by architect firm Sanchez Benton, will roll out at the brand’s first flagship store in London’s Soho in September, with Milan to follow. Anderson is also planning to open further stores in the future. The first will be a more object-focused space in a corner unit in Pimlico, an area in London known for its interior and furniture shops.
“Colette had a strategy where you could walk into the store and find a $13,000 jacket next to a $20 candle. Everyone could leave with something. I really do hope that for certain lifestyle items, JW Anderson’s prices are going to be accessible like that,” says Chabbi. “If you offer people stuff that they can take away and have home and collect, to feel part of the brand, it’s a great thing.”
Sure enough, at Monday’s presentation, the brand displayed teacups that retail for £45 alongside the Hope Spring chairs, which retail at £3,700 each, reflecting Colette’s high-low ethos. The chairs will only be sold via wholesale as a set of six, but can be purchased individually from the Jason Moseri brand.
As one of luxury’s most prominent star designers, store spaces that reflect Anderson’s taste across art, furniture and food will likely be a draw. “[The new JW Anderson stores] sound, from initial reports, more like a personal headspace than a shop,” says Gray. “A quick walk around the Loewe boutique in Harrods and you’ll notice a shelf of ceramics and pottery, hand-picked by Anderson, which moves on rotation [not for sale]. With the new JW Anderson, not only are you taking something beautiful home, you’re taking Anderson home with it. Him; his point of view; his tone of voice. That’s reassuring for customers. It says: ‘By the way, you have really great taste.’”
Only stocking products ‘with a story to tell’
Luxury consumers are more discerning than ever about the value of the goods they buy. And brands are scrambling to imbue items with story or heritage, in order to justify their price tags (hence the surge in fashion exhibitions over recent years, as labels seek to explain their heritage and savoir-faire). With the revamped JW Anderson, the designer is looking for items based on the storytelling behind them, which could prompt consumers to invest.
“With social media, everyone’s taste is so exposed. So people want to differentiate themselves and find new ways to express who they are,” Chabbi says. “Today, [investing in] lifestyle products with a story behind them says more about you than [buying] the latest fashion.”
Anderson has said that he won’t produce or sell any items that don’t have a story to tell. For example, the aforementioned £45 teacups were created in collaboration with ceramicist Nicholas Moss. When Anderson was growing up as a child, he had a pig mug from Moss, but they were subsequently discontinued as the ceramicist focused on other animals. Anderson commissioned him to remake the pig mug for JW Anderson, also printing the pig print on a knit.
The Harrods customer increasingly values a deeper connection with product — one that transcends seasonality and trends, Longland adds. “Customers are collectors as much as they are shoppers — they’re drawn to pieces that carry meaning, heritage and craftsmanship. JW Anderson’s latest direction taps directly into that sensibility.”
Of course, focusing on special, limited runs of products and shifting focus away from solely fashion may capture the attention of the affluent shopper, who is willing to pay a premium for a product with a rich history or a unique fabrication. The model makes sense for Anderson’s own stores. But it remains to be seen how the brand will engage with retailers going forward, particularly e-tailers, or stores that serve the contemporary menswear consumer. Perhaps, with luxury behemoth Dior also on his shoulders, he’s happy for his own brand to feel a little more niche.
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