In just a few days, the Uniqlo x JW Anderson AW2017 collection will be released online and in Uniqlo stores. Prior to the release, we had the chance to chat over email with the British designer himself regarding his thoughts on the collection, what went through his head when he designed it, and how he was first approached by Uniqlo.
JW Anderson
How were you first approached by UNIQLO to design the collection?
It started a little over a year ago with a simple email from UNIQLO, which I accepted immediately! UNIQLO is part of my daily uniform – I usually wear a cashmere or merino sweater, a black, white or grey T-shirt and a pair of jeans.
There have been a lot of collaborations lately between fast fashion and luxury fashion. What is your take on this and do you see this as a trend that will continue?
Collaborating with other brands and artists is very important to me. It’s extremely stimulating! In 2016, we created the JW Anderson workshops in our London store to give a window to all the collaborations that are dear to me.
What did you envision for this collaboration?
For me, the point of doing this collaboration was that I believe in democracy in fashion, and what I hope will be achieved is that any age demographic can pick up and find something within the collection to relate to. Doing something with Uniqlo is very interesting. It’s a different exercise than with JW ANDERSON, because we have a wholesale network whereas Uniqlo is a retail network. It means you come up with a wardrobe which is universal and quirky. I hope that by creating this capsule of 33 items with UNIQLO we achieved that!
What is your favorite item or detail from the new collaboration?
There are many items I like in the new line. I love the puffer jackets (ultra light down jackets) because they’re something very new to me to work on. It’s a technology I’ve been obsessed with, how Uniqlo is able to create them at that weight.
Ultra light down jacket
But at the same time I always like things that have some humor, novelty, context or art to them, so I really love the graphics with the fish, or the T-shirt with the head on the front and the fish on the back. As much as fashion is a very serious thing, it must have some element of humour.
What else can we expect from the collaboration in the future?
I want to concentrate on this one first!
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The collection drops 22 September