Jonathan Anderson, the newly appointed creative director of Dior men’s wear in Paris, made history on Friday when he became the first fashion designer to be made an Honorary Patron of Trinity College Dublin’s University Philosophical Society.
At a packed ceremony, the Irish designer was presented with the Gold Medal by the society’s treasurer Perin Winders, who outlined Anderson’s career and achievements.
The award is given by the 340-year-old society to individuals who have excelled in their given fields. In this case it acknowledged Anderson’s contribution to the world of fashion as one of the most influential designers of his generation.
Previous recipients of this award include film director Martin Scorsese, former US president Joe Biden, actors Al Pacino, Dame Helen Mirren and Whoopi Goldberg, Tim Cook of Apple and most recently comedian Stephen Colbert.
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Anderson (41), from Magherafelt, Co Derry, who studied in Blackrock College, is the elder son of former Irish rugby captain Willie Anderson and his wife Heather, a teacher.
Anderson said it was a huge honour to receive the award in Dublin, where he had come out as gay and where he first fell in love with fashion, “having blagged my way into a job in Brown Thomas”.
Dressed casually in a brown leather jacket and jeans, Anderson also described how he had applied to every fashion college he could find “and every single one turned me down, one offer finally coming for a new men’s wear course at the College of Fashion in London” which kick-started his career.
“I am a big believer in failure, and those I look up to are people who have failed and kept going,” he said.
There is an incredible amount of work. I think you have to be able to get up every morning and learn something new every day and push yourself out there
— Jonathan Anderson
In a free-ranging question and answer session with Winders, issues such as collaboration, his work in film, the changing role of designers, social media and the fashion world in general generated thoughtful responses.
“Life and society have become faster and faster because of social media and we are exposed to so much now that everything is becoming a blur and anonymity is the biggest luxury today,” he said. “Fashion’s big questions – how we deal with the planet, with what we make, but we want to fix everything tomorrow. Government and business have to work together and long-term goals are important.”
Anderson also spoke about his pride in having set up the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize during his 11-year tenure at the Spanish luxury brand, which he turned into a global superstar now worth nearly $3 billion. The award is an annual one recognising excellence among makers.
Asked what advice he would have for young people interested in a fashion career, he was very clear about its demands.
“Forget about glamour, there is an incredible amount of work. I think you have to be able to get up every morning and learn something new every day and push yourself out there,” he said.
“Even as a child I could never sit still and I always try to do a better job every time I get up in the morning. If you are good and believe in yourself, you can go anywhere, but (in fashion) you have to be a bit of a performer and you have to be quite ruthless and fight your way in.”
His annual workload has involved 16 collections – eight for his namesake brand and eight for Loewe.
His first men’s wear show for Dior will be at the end of June; he is delving into the Dior’s archives and wants to “be able to explore a different language”.
“I like a challenge, and I come with more experience to the job,” he said.
Anderson concluded his remarks by saying how proud he is to be Irish and highlighting the need for what he called “more crossing of the aisles” in the current debate about unity.
“I am so proud of where I grew up. But growing up in the ’90s was shocking in Northern Ireland and I have seen horrifying things.
“Today, however, it is like Disneyland with the Titanic Centre and everything else,” he said, to laughter and applause from the audience.
