Jonathan Anderson's first show for Dior menswear would be presented June 27 in Paris. Photo: Handout
On Thursday (April 17), one of the worst-kept secrets in the fashion industry was confirmed, in a brief unceremonious manner. At least part of it.
During a shareholder meeting, Bernard Arnault, the CEO of the LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton luxury goods empire, let fly that Jonathan Anderson, the former Loewe designer who built that brand from a niche collection into a fashion powerhouse, would officially be stepping in as the head menswear designer at Dior.
In a terse, one-sentence statement, the brand confirmed that Anderson had been named the artistic director of its men’s collections and that his first show for the label would be presented June 27 in Paris.
The release did not include any quotes from Arnault or Anderson, furthering speculation that there was more to the story.
Anderson has long been rumoured to be taking over not just Dior menswear, but also Dior’s women’s line.
For now, Maria Grazia Chiuri is still, officially, the label’s womenswear designer. She presented her Autumn/Winter 2025 collection for the brand in Kyoto, Japan, on Tuesday (April 15), and is slated to present her Cruise 2026 show in Rome, her hometown, late next month.
The truncated announcement for Anderson comes as LVMH broadly is feeling the pressure.
This week it reported a 3% year-over-year sales dip, caused by slipping sales in Asia and the US (though the declines are heftiest in its liquor businesses) sending its stock down around 8%.
Read more: Hermes overtakes LVMH to become the most valuable luxury fashion company
At Loewe, Jonathan Anderson showed he could check all the boxes for a modern, creative director. Pictured here is a design from the label's Spring/Summer 2025 collection. Photo: LoeweDior in particular, was said by Cecile Cabanis, the LVMH chief financial officer, to have performed “below the average”.
At the shareholder meeting, Arnault announced Anderson’s appointment in response to a question from an investor, and it may have been an attempt to quell investor fears that the brand wasn’t doing enough to right the ship.
Still, it adds to the impression that LVMH, the world’s largest luxury company, is handling news about its loftiest jobs in a reactive, piecemeal manner, in which the rumour mill is often well ahead of official announcements.
What’s certain is that Anderson, 40, had been floating around as somewhat of a free agent in the fashion world since he stepped down as creative director at Loewe, owned by LVMH, last month.
The Irish-born designer spent 11 years at the Spanish company, transforming it from a snoozy leather goods brand into a destination for whimsical, haute creations.
Still, its market share remained well below that of Dior, or Louis Vuitton, the princely jewels of the LVMH empire.
His departure from the brand, without his next job nor his successor announced, sent the fashion world spinning that Anderson was heading to loftier heights.
Last month, LVMH confirmed that Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, formerly of the New York label Proenza Schouler, would be taking the helm at Loewe.
At Loewe, Anderson showed he could check all the boxes for a modern, creative director. His runway shows had become fantastical, near-Seussian displays – trousers pleated like a curtain in a Broadway theatre, feathered headpieces and clothes made of clay.
They mesmerised, and occasionally polarised, audiences.
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At the same time, he displayed a crackerjack commercial sense – particularly on the men’s side of Loewe’s stores, which were heavy on everyday leather jackets, pebbled leather loafers and well-cut sweaters.
Anderson also skillfully courted celebrities – something that will surely matter for him at Dior. Stars like Daniel Craig, Greta Lee and Josh O’Connor filled the Loewe front rows and appeared in its ads.
Anderson himself made inroads in Hollywood, designing costumes for Luca Guadagnino’s films Challengers and Queer.
Whether he will continue this time-consuming side hustle is unclear.
At Dior, he succeeds Kim Jones, a British designer who spent seven years as the brand’s men’s creative director before departing abruptly in January, just days after his final show. – ©2025 The New York Times Company
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
