FAKE NEWS: JW Anderson, the namesake label of Dior’s current creative director Jonathan Anderson, on Friday clarified on Instagram that reports suggesting the London-based brand is working with Zara on a collaboration are untrue.
The speculation first appeared online on Thursday with Instagram account DeuxMoi reporting on the supposed tie-up, citing an anonymous source. Online spectators immediately questioned the credibility of the news, citing a conflict of interest as JW Anderson has been releasing cobranded collections with Zara’s high-street competitor Uniqlo since 2017.
Over the years the brand has also released fashion collaborations with Topshop, Versus, Converse, A.P.C., Pleasing, Guinness and Diadora, as well as limited-edition objects with Wedgwood on bone china cups, saucers and reissued historical ceramics, and most recently a range of baskets handcrafted from British willow by English sculptor Eddie Glew.
You May Also Like
But a potential collaboration with Zara in the mid- to long-term is not entirely out of the picture. It’s understood that many of Zara’s recent designer collaborations are facilitated by Lucien Pagès & AIPR, the very communications firm that also represents JW Anderson.
John Galliano, one of Anderson’s predecessors at Dior, was named in March as the latest high-profile Zara collaborator, following the likes of Stefano Pilati, Narciso Rodriguez, Samuel Ross and Ludovic de Saint Sernin.
For the next two years, Galliano is set to create new toiles inspired by pieces in the Zara archives, and the collections will be filled with new shapes, fabrics, colors and clothing with his distinctive signature.
His appointment is part of a wider strategy led by Inditex chair Marta Ortega Perez, daughter of the company’s billionaire founder Amancio Ortega, to align Zara with contemporary luxury brands and top creative talents, and leave any fast-fashion references behind.
Last year, for Zara’s 50th anniversary, the brand collaborated with friends, brands and creatives, including Rodriguez, Steven Meisel, Pierpaolo Piccioli, Anna Sui and Pieter Mulier, to design the object of their desire.
