1 Moncler Jw Anderson | Moda Operandi

Unpacking Creative
GENIUS: An Interview
with JW Anderson

A wunderkind who founded his eponymous label in 2008 at the age of 24, the Northern Irish designer is one of fashion’s most defining and respected voices (as well as leading his own brand, he is also Creative Director of Loewe). Needless to say, Anderson is hardly short on creative projects, but when Moncler approached JW Anderson to collaborate, he jumped at the opportunity. In an exclusive interview, the designer tells MODA about what compelled him to join forces with Moncler—and why the collection delivers the optimism we all need right now.

Interview by: Tatiana Hambro

WHAT DID YOU FIND MOST INTERESTING ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO COLLABORATE WITH MONCLER?

JA: The amazing thing about working with Moncler was that it really felt like a collaboration. There was a real exchange of ideas, in both directions. They are the experts when it comes to working with puffer and with the techniques, which are incredibly difficult, that you need to work with puffer. I think that was the most exciting for me. To work with teams that have a whole set of knowledge and understanding of a craft that I hadn’t really worked with before. It was really exciting.

WHAT SYNERGIES EXIST BETWEEN JW ANDERSON THE BRAND AND MONCLER?

JA: Both brands brought something to the collaboration. From JW Anderson, we looked back at some of our archive pieces, some really iconic moments from our earlier collections and some going even further back. I think we brought a lot of the kind of cultural agitation that JW Anderson is known for. I enjoy contradictions and challenging the status quo a bit. I think in that sense the brands have something in common. Remo’s [Ruffini, Moncler’s CEO] GENIUS project is really brilliant and forward-thinking for a luxury brand and something that hadn’t really been done before. Obviously JW Anderson and Moncler are very different sizes and have quite different histories. I think those differences make the collaboration more interesting.

THE PANDEMIC HAS TRANSFORMED DAILY LIFE, AND ALSO INCREASED THE AMOUNT OF TIME
WE SPEND SOCIALIZING OUTDOORS. HAS THAT IMPACTED YOUR DESIGN PROCESS AT ALL?

JA: You know I’ve been asked that a lot over the past year, how has the pandemic changed my approach to design, and I don’t think it has changed it as much as it has challenged me creatively. I think fashion is about the future and when I am designing, I am thinking about the future and hoping, really, that we will be out of this pandemic. That’s why when I was working on this collection, it was really important to me that it felt optimistic. The colors were really important for me to convey that optimism.