In its 15 years in business, London-based fashion label JW Anderson – helmed by designer Jonathan Anderson, also creative director of Loewe – has fostered an enduring relationship with the art world, both at home and abroad. There was ‘Disobedient Bodies’, an Anderson-curated exhibition at Hepworth Wakefield – featuring his own works in conversation with artists spanning Constantin Brâncuşi, Louise Bourgeois and Alberto Giacometti – while collaborators have included Gilbert & George, Tom of Finland, Dame Magdalene Odundo and Shawanda Corbett.
Now, Anderson is set to present his latest foray into the field with ’On Foot’ (18 September – 28 October 2023), a new exhibition at Mayfair’s Offer Waterman gallery that coincides with the arrival of London Fashion Week in the city. Much like ‘Disobedient Bodies’, the exhibition will combine artworks with pieces on display from his own collections, though here the focus is on London, ‘embracing the stark contrasts and unlikely juxtapositions that even a short journey through the city offers up’. Amid this, works of seminal British artists – including Barbara Hepworth, Lucian Freud and David Hockney – will be placed ‘in dialogue’ with a new generation of international contemporary artists, from Lynette Yiadom-Boakye to Florian Krewer.
JW Anderson at Offer Waterman: ‘On Foot’
A piece from JW Anderson S/S 2023 which will feature in the show
In keeping with the theme, Anderson will playfully transform the rooms and corridors of the Georgian townhouse in which Offer Waterman is located into an imagined walk-through of London – conjuring both the refined streets of Mayfair and the hedonism of Soho, where JW Anderson’s London store is located. Imagined scenes will traverse ‘traffic-clogged streets’, a city park (complete with park bench), and a pub – the exhibition’s final stop – in which ‘a diverse cast of characters will each tell a story of the city they live in’.
Pigeons – a familiar sight on London’s streets – will also feature, with British artist and longtime Anderson collaborator Anthea Hamilton creating a special version of the designer’s viral ‘pigeon clutch’ which will be presented at both the gallery and the brand’s Soho store. Garments from both JW Anderson and Loewe will also feature, chosen for the way in which ’they transform the body and give it sculptural potential’.
The exhibition will open on September 18, two days after Anderson presents his S/S 2024 womenswear collection for JW Anderson as part of London Fashion Week on 16 September.
JW Anderson at Offer Waterman ‘On Foot’ runs from 18 September – 28 October 2023.
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Wounds at the Bases, 2020
-
Highlights from the transporting Cruise 2026 showsThe Cruise 2026 season began yesterday with a Chanel show at Lake Como, heralding the start of a series of jet-setting, destination runway shows from fashion’s biggest houses
-
Behind the design of national pavilions in Venice: three studios to knowDesigning the British, Swiss and Mexican national pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 are three outstanding studios to know before you go
-
Premium patisserie Naya is Mayfair’s latest sweet spotHeritage meets opulence at Naya bakery in Mayfair, London. With interiors by India Hicks and Anna Goulandris, the patisserie looks good enough to eat
-
The Wallpaper* style team pick their fashion moments of 2024The Wallpaper* style editors reflect on their best fashion moments of 2024, from Rick Owens’ 200-strong Hollywood epic to an Eyes Wide Shut-inspired JW Anderson show, and a slicked-back beauty look at Saint Laurent
-
Giant cats, Madonna wigs, pints of Guinness: seven objects that tell the story of fashion in 2024These objects tell an unconventional story of style in 2024, a year when the ephemera that populated designers’ universes was as intriguing as the collections themselves
-
Vans’ West End store turns skatepark, with a 200 sq m travertine rampPart store, part community hub, Vans West End in London ramps up its skateboarding credentials with a design by Andrea Caputo Studio
-
Loafer bags to sock shoes, 2024 was all about the mashed-up accessoryWallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss reflects on the rise of the surreal hybrid accessory in 2024, a trend which reflects the disorientating nature of contemporary living – where nothing is quite what it seems
-
20 years of Dover Street Market’s transporting in-store installations, from giant elephants to soft toysAs Dover Street Market, Rei Kawakubo and Adrian Joffe’s radical London concept store, celebrates its 20th anniversary, we look back at ten of its most colourful installations, crafted alongside Simone Rocha, Jonathan Anderson, Martin Parr and more
-
Alaïa’s secret new London café and bookstore is inspired by the art of hostingHoused on the third floor of Alaïa’s London flagship, the intimate space – inspired by Azzedine Alaïa’s famed hospitality – includes a Violet Cakes bakery and a bookstore by Claire de Rouen
-
‘Music is in the DNA of the brand’: AV Vattev on creating this year’s loudest accessoryRising London designer AV Vattev – who has recently outfitted Charli XCX and Troye Sivan for their viral ‘Sweat’ tour – talks about the influence of music on his ‘bold and unapologetic’ collections
-
JW Anderson and Pleasing design a balloon-inspired collection of nail polishes and moreJW Anderson and Pleasing launch an uplifting new capsule collection featuring balloon-inspired metallic nail polishes and a take on the viral rainbow cardigan
