Thinking Outside The Box for JW Anderson’s S/S21 Collection

At this time of year, we would usually be preparing ourselves for JW Anderson menswear and womenswear Spring/Summer 2021 collection shows. However, due to obvious reasons (hint: starts in C, and ends in D) the artistic team at JW Anderson have had to think outside the box, or in this case inside the box, to generate a new way of presenting its Spring/Summer 2021 menswear and womenswear collections.

In collaboration with design studio, OK-RM, the JW Anderson team came up with the alternative idea of creating the collection within a box.  The contents of the box, which can be mailed out, represents the narrative of the designs and creative processes evolved throughout lockdown.  Each box contains items such as swatches of fabrics from the collection, photographic representations of models, and even a selection of pressed flowers.  Anderson himself stated that the end product felt like ‘an act of defiance to work creatively round solutions’ and ‘make it a piece of ephemera, this idea of mail art’. 

Each eye-catching box is beautifully gift wrapped in a fabric overlaid with screen print text. Inside is everything needed to recreate the collection looks.  Looks for both men and women are presented through different image formats and sizes.  Anderson even contributed to the contents himself by adding pressed flowers from his own garden.  He acknowledged that this project feels like ‘going back to handcraft’ by ‘making or telling stories’. He sees the final product as having the potential to be turned into individual collages by the customer. 

In addition to the fashion artefacts, throughout the box are small cards with positive affirmations tucked in amongst the layers of intricate detailing of Anderson’s S/S 2021 collection. Anderson sees these as notes as ‘pauses for thought’ with statements such as ‘never to compromise’ and ‘the future is unwritten’ printed on them. They reflect the feelings of positivity and creativity that he felt throughout lockdown whilst creating this collection, indeed we may see more boxed fashion from this designer, as Anderson clearly feels he’s ‘boxed clever’ with this alternative presentation of his collection.  

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