Welcome to the cinematic universe of Jonathan Anderson

It was not until James Joyce left Ireland that he wrote Ulysses and Dubliners em>, classics that fit into the topography of his native island. He did it, says Jonathan Anderson, "by not being there, but by meticulously being there", tracing the streets of Dublin like a palm reader delineating not the future, but the past. Sometimes, says Anderson, "you have to run away from something to appreciate it."

Anderson himself grew up splitting his time between Northern Ireland and Ibiza. "The great thing about an island is that you want to get out," he says. Having The Troubles as your childhood backdrop, “you realize that you take everything for granted. Everything can be very fragile,” he now recalls, threading a rope-bracelet wrist through his disheveled dirty blonde hair. At the same time, "It's so beautiful. Everything is grey, so the colors really pop. Whereas in Ibiza you have blue skies and everything becomes harmonious with each other. In a joyous turn of events, when Anderson decamped to London, he became more free to tell his own story. And storytelling, he says, is what "fashion is ultimately about".

The designer in his office.

Caesar Segarra

Anderson first gained acclaim for his JW Anderson line, which earned him a British Fashion Council nomination as Emerging Talent–Ready to Wear, in 2012. The following year, he was asked by LVMH to lead the Spanish house Loewe. A decade later, Anderson is a veteran by fashion standards. And like a writer operating at the peak of his powers, he creates collections that are more whimsical, relevant and talked about than ever.

Dress, $10,500, sandals, $1,600, Loewe.

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