A-listers applaud Jonathan Anderson as he makes his triumphant Dior debut

Unveiling his first menswear collection for the French fashion brand at Les Invalides during Paris Fashion Week, the 40-year-old Northern Irish fashion designer told press ahead of the show that he felt “ready and relaxed”.

Having spent the last decade at the helm of Loewe, which he transformed from sleepy Spanish luxury brand into a global powerhouse alongside his eponymous fashion brand, Anderson is one of the most influential and celebrated figures in the fashion industry beloved for his refreshingly avant-garde approach to luxury fashion.

His spring/summer 2026 debut on Friday showed that he plans to continue in the same vein at Dior by leaning into the 78-year-old brand’s heritage and translating it with his signature subverted spin.

The opening look, Anderson’s ode to the Bar Jacket – the icon of The New Look that founder Christian Dior pioneered in 1947 and which Anderson called the “the most genius jacket in history” – came styled with wide-leg, pleated cotton-drill cargo shorts.

It was followed by velvet morning coats that took their cue from the 18th-century menswear that Anderson collects worn over bare chests with white bow ties and jeans. Meanwhile, Donegal-tweed blazers were paired with dress shirts, waistcoats, and patchworked jeans; a striped office shirt was worn with a back-to-front tie and green chinos; and houndstooth knitwear came with a denim jacket and striped boxer shorts.

Elsewhere, shoes ranged from embellished leather loafers and lace-up Oxford shoes to woven leather sandals, embroidered plimsolls, and slouchy high tops.

Treading the line between 18th-century aristocrat and Goldsmiths art student, the collection was designed to underpin “the joy in the art of dressing”, read the show notes. “A spontaneous, emphatic collusion of then and now, of relics of the past, things rediscovered in the archives, classic tropes of class, and pieces that have endured the test of time.”

Speaking to press backstage on the morning of the show, Anderson said that he felt it was important to “de-code and re-code” Dior. “Some of my heroes, some of the greatest designers in history, have done Dior and I don’t want to be chopping it all down and disregard what everyone has [done]; it’s able to re-birth itself within itself”, adding that “everything is about reinforcing the codes that are the brand”.

Here, amongst Anderson’s trademark subversion, came direct nods to the founder’s love of horticulture and fascination with British culture, from the embroidered florals on cableknit sweaters and velvet waistcoats to the shirting that came with printed with palace-courtier frogging.

In the weeks leading up to the show, Anderson teased the muses on his moodboard on Instagram, which included Jean-Michel Basquiat and Lee Radziwill. At Friday’s preview he said he chose them for their unique personal sense of style. Of the resulting collection, he described it as “savoir faire but grounded in today’s world,” he said backstage. “I wanted it to feel liberating of itself.”

Whereas, in recent years, Dior’s menswear collections have assumed a mature sophistication, Anderson’s debut captured more of an experimental elegance. Conjuring the untainted confidence that is associated with youth, it’s an aesthetic reminiscent of the one we have watched him cultivate since he started his namesake brand, JW Anderson, with menswear in 2012 and develop in his additional role as costume designer for Luca Guadagnino’s movies Challengers and Queer.

Stars of both films Josh O’Connor and Daniel Craig, along with Guadagnino, were in attendance on Friday afternoon to show their support. They were joined by Dior brand ambassador Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, Robert Pattinson and Roger Federer in forming the celebrity front row. Meanwhile, proof of how much Anderson is admired by his peers was apparent by the presence of Silvia Fendi, Louis Vuitton creative director Pharrell Williams, Chloe creative director Chemena Kamali, and newly appointed Balenciaga creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli.

Anderson’s appointment at LVMH-owned Dior makes him the first designer in the brand’s history to assume creative control of womenswear, menswear and haute couture. He replaces Italian designer Maria Grazia Chiuri, who led womenswear and haute couture since 2016, and Brit Kim Jones who created the menswear collections since 2018. Previous designers have included Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, Hedi Slimane, Raf Simons, and John Galliano.

On Friday, Anderson revealed that he has already planned the next five shows, giving an indication of what can be expected after his debut.

“Each one will show a different aspect of the brand, some will contradict it, some will go along with it, and some will be completely radical… to me it’s about establishing a language, it’s a beginning point, establishing a mood,” he said.

“I would never have imagined I’d be at Dior five years ago [so] to me it’s important not to lock yourself in in the beginning, it had to be fluid within itself,” he added.

Photographs by Anthony Ghnassia/Getty Images for Dior Homme, Courtesy Christian Dior