J.W. Anderson Speaks with 'The New York Times'

Thirty-year-old Northern Irish designer J.W. Anderson opens up to The New York Times in this recent episode of its In The Studio series. Since its onset in 2008, the Brit’s eponymous label has continued to awe crowds in both critical and commercial realms with its innovative, forward-thinking designs. J.W. Anderson’s unique gender-ambiguous aesthetics have earned him a handful of accolades, including British Fashion Awards for “Emerging Talent” and “The New Establishment Award.” Anderson touches on a few topics in this brief interview, including his studio in London and working under LVMH. Enjoy the excerpt below and head over to The New York Times for the full interview.

It doesn’t make a difference to be partly owned by LVMH, which invested when they made you creative director of Loewe in 2013?

Being part of a larger conglomerate like LVMH has changed the way in which I view my time and what is important. You realize that you have to become a manager. Ultimately, you want to create a very clean company that feeds itself. I feel like before, I wasn’t efficient enough, and now I’ve become more efficient. But it doesn’t mean we can go on a massive shopping trip. I think that people sometimes have this illusion that, because LVMH has brands like Vuitton and Dior in it, every single brand operates like that. But that’s not really how it works.

They keep you on a tight leash?

They do, but it’s good, because ultimately it’s got my interest at heart. I own the majority of the company, so it’s important that it stays in good shape.

Do you draw?

I’m not a beautiful illustrator like Karl Lagerfeld. The way in which I work is very on-the-body. I find it very difficult to draw flat. I don’t like typing. I find it very difficult to write emails. I’m actually dyslexic so I find it very difficult to take time to do it, and focus. I need to work 3-D.