5 Things To Know About JW Anderson’s Retrospective FW23 Show

The collection showcased a collaboration with Michael Clarke, the renowned Scottish ‘enfant terrible’ and iconoclast of modern dance, who has previously collaborated with Hussein Chalayan and Sarah Lucas, and has had a retrospective Cosmic Dancer which has toured the Barbican in London and Dundee’s V&A. But this wasn’t a performance-led collaboration (as has been a theme on London’s AW23 catwalks), this was an intellectual exercise which allowed Anderson to also explore his own archive and “reconcile the past” at the same time. In Clarke’s case—Anderson reproduced his dance show posters—featuring giant penises and witty takes on the Coca Cola can design—as tees and knitwear. “We all have posters on our walls and we get starstruck,” Anderson said. “In Britain we go to the West End, we see performances and musicians, we buy the tour t-shirt bedsheet we want to be part of it.”

Anderson is a master of teasing tidbits of his collection on Instagram in the run up to his show. This included a pair of his signature mules moulded with big cat-like paws, that strutted down the runway in feline fashion, paired with sparkling houndstooth trousers and fit and flare dresses. Anderson and the ugly, out-there shoe go hand in hand. This style rivaled the bovine Maison Margiela tabi, and was an addition to the Noah’s Ark of animals he’s referenced for AW2023: for his menswear show back in January, the brand showcased a pair of slip on childhood-reminiscent rubber Wellipets, with faces like frogs.

“Usually I hate old things,” Anderson smiled. “But this was a really liberating process and really fun too,” he added, over looking back over the last 15 years and updating signature pieces—his oversized giant collared opera coat, his cross-detail voluminous trousers, his silken draped dresses, his architectural trench coats. “Things go so fast in fashion, you forget what you’ve done and where you’ve been,” he said. “This was a reminder that it was worth all the work.”

Anderson can always be counted on for a great front row, mixed of artists and A-listers—no doubt complemented by the fact his show falls the morning of the 2023 BAFTAs. A few fabulous sightings? Alexa Cgubg, Arlo Parks, ASAP Nast, Mia Regan, Romeo Beckham, Anthea Hamilton, Lydia West, Ncuti Gatwa, Luca Guadagnino and Kai-Isaiah Jamal.

Anderson expounded on his love of the t-shirt referencing how he wanted to be the person to wear an upside down smiley face T-shirt onesie in the collection. The show also featured a t-shirt dress resembling two Tesco shopping bags. For fall-winter 2023, every little helps!