What Fashion Creatives Can Take Away From JW Anderson's MS21/WRS21 Digital Presentation

Jonathan Anderson is doing something right.

Last week, I just talked about JW Anderson being the first fashion brand who truly enjoyed an organic virality on TikTok because of its colorblocking patchwork cardigan worn by Harry Styles. Then, there came his imaginative MS21 and WRS21 "Show in the box" presentation that stole our hearts and awakened our inner crafty needs.

Last Thursday on July 2nd, Anderson introduced JW Anderson brand Spring Summer 2021 Men and Resort 2021 Women. Like most brands this season who decided to show on London Fashion Week, the presentation was done digitally. The brand released an 11:37min video on its website and social media accounts. In this video, shot at his office without the presence of the physical models nor the samples of clothing, Anderson explained the making of the collection and the limited edition of 500 "Show in the box" presentation that were sent directly to the editors and buyers.

"At a time of uneven connections, I thought the show should come to you. The portable format makes it playful, engaging and, well, connective.

This is what interests me: the moment, being present. Your presence, wherever you are, is part of the process.

The box you are unboxing is an undulating flow of textures, images and formats aiming at one single goal: conveying a sense of optimism. You’ll decide where and when.

The future is unwritten, Jonathan"

The format of the video was unassuming, simple, and candidly compassionate. The entire presentation consisted of Anderson himself talking viewers through the new collection. There were no bells and whistles, no fancy video productions, no glossy editing effects, no pretentious Q&A, no high-profile guest appearances. There was just Anderson in a plain shirt behind his desk, taking the viewers through the contents inside the presentation box, explaining and sharing the thoughts behind. There was a strong sense of deep thoughtfulness to the video. Nothing felt choreographed. Listening to Anderson discussing the process of creating in such an unembellished way was refreshing, to say the least. Without the flashy big productions and glossy editing to distract, one can have enough attention span to comprehend those words and their meanings. 

As fashion brands and the creatives working in the industry are confronted with a reality where the changes on the foundation of fashion system are called for, JW Anderson brand is doing a fantastic job this season at showing us one of the ways to communicate creative messages in an effective, authentic, collaborative, and aspirational way.

So, what can we, the fashion creatives, take away from Anderson's approach in presenting digitally the latest JW Anderson Collections?

The fashion creatives are the minds and muscles behind the brands. The changes sweeping across the entire fashion industry directly affect our future. While we are all trying to understand those changes and finding ways to adjust, adapt, and progress, I feel that it is equally important to observe closely those who are making really good steps towards reshaping the industry. Amongst all the digital presentations coming out of London Fashion Week, JW Anderson stood out because Anderson, the founder and the creator of the brand, chose to take advantage of this unique time we are in to better understand himself, his responsibilities to his team as well as what his brand represents. So, what can we, the fashion creatives, learn from Anderson’s approach during this time of uncertainty? How do we not only survive but thrive the time of turmoil with a better and stronger understanding of our own inner selves? Below are a few of our takeaways and reflections.

1) Creativity magnifies itself during

"a time of uneven connections"

(2) Material restrictions can lead to out-of-box creative solutions.

(3) Fashion creatives can participate personally the sustainable practice by advocating brand decision-makers to reuse scraps and leftover materials from the past seasons. New collection doesn't mean that we should discard everything from the past and start all over from scratch. Reusing materials and giving them a second life is a very tangible way to reduce a brand's carbon footprint. 

(4) Using our own hands to make something and taking time doing it. We all know that fashion needs to slow down and the creatives need time to think, experiment, and reflect. But, in today's ever-more-digitized world, we can also emphasize equally on making things with our own hands. For our fashion industry, traditional crafts need to be revitalized just as much as the digital process needs to be better adapted.

(5) Fashion presentation and marketing can encourage more engagements by providing the audience with tangible things (i.g. "Show in a box") and digital content (i.g. TikTok viral video) that they can easily add their own unique spin on them.

(6) Big budget productions might not always be necessary. Direct and candid interactions can be very impactful at debunking the complexity of creative messages. Non-pretentiousness and avoidance of elitism are the key attributes in the age of direct communications.

(7) Always taking time to digest and absorb after each project. The fashion creatives have been on the go for years now. Often, everything just seems like a big blur. Taking time to reflect after each big project or milestone will allow the fashion creatives to better understand how and why. To this point, if you are interested, the conversation between Anderson and Tim Blank was a good video to get some of their perspectives on this topic.

SS21 Paris Mens's fashion week is taking place now till 13th while the Milan Fashion Week is set to go digital this month from 14-17. Hence, many more brands are going to share with us their digital presentations.

Meanwhile, I am curious if you are feeling a similar sentiment towards JW Anderson's presentation, or different brands strike a chord with you?

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Sources of images & videos used in this article

• JW Anderson website, instagram and youtube
• Jonathan Anderson instagram
• OK-RM instagram