JW Anderson's Pol Anglada Collaboration Captures Queerness, Body-Building and Nostalgia
The artist pens muscled men inspired by vintage magazines and prints it across the designer’s signature items.
Jonathan Anderson‘s eponymous label, JW Anderson, waves the flag for Queer identities. From Tom of Finland collaborations to Pride-celebrating capsule collections, its infamous phallic keyring to camp references with items like the Wellipets frog clogs, Anderson is one of the few paving the way for designs that are motivated, inspiring, and yet still fun to wear (hark back to Hypebeast’s interview with the designer in which we discussed men wearing dresses, if you need a reminder). Now, the camp is amped up with JW Anderson’s latest drop, a collaboration with the renowned artist Pol Anglada.
Known for depicting Queerness, Anglada’s colorful sketches have since become a go-to for Anderson. The Northern Irish designer tapped Anglada for a Pride-themed store takeover, as well as a previous capsule collection that went on to garner stardom in the Queer community.
Now, Anglada’s work — portraying homoerotica spurred on by the physiques of body-builders seen in wrestling magazines from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s — features across vests, polo shirts, hoodies, sweaters, T-shirts, shirts, shorts, and more.
A simple white crewneck ribbed vest (itself an icon of Queerness as it subverts heteronormative stereotypes) is adorned with the artist’s muscled drawing, while a white short-sleeve shirt is printed heavily with a group of men wresting, looking like a type of performance dance.
Shorts are indeed very short, once again sporting one of Anglada’s group pieces, while polos get the oversized treatment — combined, allowing the wearer to play with the proportions of their body.
JW Anderson x Pol Anglada can be seen in the gallery above, and the entire collection can be bought online or at JW Anderson’s flagship Soho, London store now.
For more culturally-inspired collections, check out the collaboration between Slam Jam and Umbro.
