JW Anderson’s new London store is an inviting emporium of fashion, art and homeware

‘I like change. I have wanted to change things around for two years now, and finally I feel at one with who I am today and what the brand means,’ Jonathan Anderson told Wallpaper* earlier this year when he revealed a new vision for his eponymous London-based label JW Anderson – one where clothing, objects and artworks converge.

It felt an astute move for a designer who had just begun a historic new role: leaving his 11-year-long tenure as creative director of Loewe in March, the following month it was announced he would head up Dior’s mens, womens and haute couture lines. It was the first time the Parisian house had employed a designer to have such far-reaching creative control, with Anderson in charge of over ten collections a year (previously, the menswear and womenswear lines were split between creative directors).

Inside JW Anderson’s new Pimlico Road store

So for JW Anderson, he announced he would be doing away with his four runway shows each year, choosing a new model which focused on the idea of the shop: a rolling collection of men’s and womenswear – much of it drawing on JW Anderson hallmarks elevated through a greater focus on craft – alongside a curated collection of furnishings, ceramics, home textiles, artworks, even tea and honey.

‘It’s things that I either want to wear or want to live with,’ he said, presenting a redesigned store in London’s Soho by Sanchez Benton this past September (before that, in June, he had presented the new vision at a simulacrum of the store in Paris). ‘The idea is how all these things talk together. Ultimately, it’s showing the influence and how I see things, and how it all figures together.’

Opening this past weekend, Anderson continues to expand this vision with the opening of his largest store yet on London’s Pimlico Road, a location chosen for its proximity to ‘antique stores, design boutiques and homeware specialists’ (the neighbourhood has long been known as a design district, with neighbours including Soane Britain, Rose Uniacke and recently opened hub Newson’s Yard). Indeed, the store – which continues Sanchez Benton’s vision and unfolds over two floors – places a greater focus on the home, with just a small selection of ready-to-wear and accessories.

Like in Soho, the idea of ‘curation’ is central: amid Sanchez Benton’s serene interiors – which use velvet panelling to create a series of distinct rooms – sit Anderson’s carefully selected objects, which, while eclectic, are united by the idea of craft and the handmade. ‘With an emphasis on traceable origins and elevated materials; each piece is designed to stand the test of time, to honour traditional skills, and reflect who Jonathan is today,’ said a statement from the house, released this morning.

So there are Nicolas Mosse ceramics, re-editions of Charles Rennie Mackintosh furniture, Wedgwood mugs and fabrics from Polly Lyster’s ‘The Dyeworks’ – known for its use of natural dyes – transformed into cushions, lavender bags and sketchbooks (like many of the objects for sale, this was part of a collaboration between JW Anderson and the producer or artisan). For Christmas, there are vintage tree ornaments, while other curiosities – from dinner candles to coffee-flavoured tea – add to the store’s emporium-like feel.

Artwork is also a component of the store: for the inaugural ‘art installation’, Anderson has installed six wall sconces by British artist Kira Freije in welded metal and glass, designed to hold candles. On display – and, like the store’s other objects, available to purchase – until February, Anderson says the choice reflects the store’s veneration of craft and making. ‘They are made with the same impulse as drawing or collage, intuitive and exploratory in their forms,’ he says.

‘There are elements of chance and serendipity held within the tactility of their presence which is true to their making,’ adds Freije. ‘They are signals, guides, beacons of optimism.’

JW Anderson Pimlico Road Store, 105-107 Pimlico Road, London, SW1W 8NQ.

jwanderson.com