The Man Turning European Fashion Into Something Raw and Real

Nice article, I am going to find the print version. He's my favorite working menswear designer along with Demna Gvasalia and Dries and Chrisophe Lemaire who also designs for Uniqlo. He's really come into his own in the past few years and it has been exciting to watch. It would be have been nice to see a mention of Eye/Loewe/Nature which to my mind is some of the best sportswear out there in a world that is over saturated with versions that are either bland (yet another new label that revolves around a basic t or hoodie really??) or overcooked (Off-White and every multi-hyphenate "arty" overpriced street / skate brand it is so overdone and just pointless consumer landfill). Please NYT allow us to turn off the animations / auto-play videos. It's super distracting. Either do text or do video but not both at the same time. The movement immediately distracts the eye from the text and takes the reader out of the story.

Reminds me of why I just love a L.L. Bean button-down oxford and a nice pair of kakis......

Did he ever work for Elton....?

As Eddy would say to Patsy "Absolutely Fabulous, darling"

The article implies artistic evolution in wearable clothing, but only the most financially and mentally indulged, spoiled, and divorced could come up with such actually produced vanities of vanity. Nothing here appropriate to alleviation of the suffering human race. Depressing. I suppose the toss of the cigarette was a dramatic homage to James Dean or something, it did not work and then some.

These are the sort of clothes that may be fun to photograph, especially when shown by a model with striking looks which can stand up to the strong shapes of the clothing shown. But what's written doesn't seem to be connected to what is depicted in the pictures. certainly not much that I find bewitching... "At both brands, he relies heavily on teams, perhaps more than some designers; they are enfranchised to transform his constant stream of inspirations" ??

Yeah, I love his forward thinking too, as it seems to consist of nonsensical "clothes", plus, the guy is a litterer, as we learned in the first paragraph. It's great to know he's so forward-thinking that he makes a mess on the steps of the Victoria & Albert just for his own convenience.

Sorry, but this "fashion" is so silly and predictable and laughable. In the inner circle it maybe innovative and REAL but REALLY?

This is the kind of stuff that ends up in Loehmann's two years from now. Everyone is always oooohing and ahhhhing at this kind of stuff - and then what? I get that there is couture and then it trickles down from there. Blah blah. Also who cares how much this guy smokes? Who in the world still thinks that smoking is cool or hip or anything except compulsive and dangerous?

That $2050 "windowpane wrap cape" is pretty. Try wearing it on the subway.

One of those ensembles would pay off half of my medical debt.

In a short story by Dorothy Parker, one woman is saying "Do you mean to tell me that she spends hours to be dressed like this? I have always thought she bought her clothes from fire sales." I would like to paraphrase "Do you mean to tell me that she spends thousands of dollars to look like this? I thought these people bought the clothes from fire sales."

I'll wear what's he's wearing. I'm a woman, not a piece of art.

I believe these fashions are unwearable. He could put his enthusiasm to better use by designing interesting practical clothes.

The high priced examples shown in the photographs don’t give much sense, to me, of the supposedly elegantly scrappy, rough-hewn aesthetic (ancient sweater dredged from a peat bog) described. I do like the volcanic teapots in his collection, and the buttons. And, why do these clever, young designers always have such brooding, gloomy, petulant photos taken of themselves. It all seems so rarified (despite the inclusive rhetoric concerning traditional crafts and the ‘everyday’), and, finally, for the usual jetting ‘set.’ As far as “transcendent,” not likely. “Bewitching,” hardly, a bit bewildering, yes.

Tulle Ties on sandals? Does not sound real to me at all. Sounds like a recipe for a fall. And the prices are not real at all. This is fashion for the one percent.

I feel there is nothing more important than ART. It is the answer to many people's personal struggles. Pick up pencil and paper and draw. Take some old clothes and a scissors, needle and thread and discover. Take some photos of a friend and observe the light at different times of the day or arrange some objects (a glass of water, a plate, a spoon, an apple) and move them to create a composition. Look at color. Watch the clouds. Stand amongst the pines with eyes closed and listen to their music. You will find peace.

The Man Turning European Fashion Into Something Raw and Real Fashion is neither raw nor real. It is primarily a pretentious game designed to profit from vanity and planned obsolescence.

To me, these clothes are redolent of a critical moment in Western iconography -- a time more elemental, less ironic, and palpably authentic. I speak of course of the Mickey Mouse club, whose signature hat is effectively evoked in the centerpiece garment of this collection.

That he works with Uniqlo is very impressive. With that, all of us can enjoy and partake of his foreward thinking. I loved this article. And hope to see more of him and his clothes in the future.

Haute will never be "real" dress. It is out of touch and impractical. Authenticity has purpose at its core. Many traditional men's clothing items are derived from a professional need. Think of the cut and materials of a chore jacket, or a bomber's design for real-world circumstances. Mr. Anderson is costume and runway, not "real."

Anderson's clothes are great to write about, but except for the 0.00001% who are basically the superrich who can just go to events and pose, his clothes are unwearable. We need more designers who have the imagination to create clothes that are original but totally wearable -- maybe not in the kitchen but at least in the street, in the office and on a date.

Be it fashion, art, or home design, to each their own. Hard to see people just venting about sizing, price, taste or his own wardrobe he picked for the NYT photo. It is what it is and often fashion's aim is for most to just not understand or get it. Pedestrian confusion and sniping at design is nirvana to them. The irony is that even in the rich complexity of the English language, words often fail us. "Raw" is certainly not the right word, but what else should be used? Have you read an IPA beer review lately? That is also a huge abuse of adjectives.

Honestly I do not see "raw" at all. I see costuming.

I find it very interesting that as fascinating and imaginative as his designs for women are, the designer dresses himself a mundane, pale blue button down collar shirt. What’s with that?

"It’s not fashion, as he might argue — it’s something else. It’s another way to see the world." Hm. There's a cycle to things. There may be times when fashion can be regarded as something meaningful, but we're not there. This is not different from "fashion" in most times --the trivialization of women by making them pay a fortune to look like something on the top of a Christmas tree . I wish I could say that at least the pretension is unusual, but designers always talk as if they are more real than real. There are designers with important impact --like Jonny Ive-- but they aren't in the business of turning women into bric-a-brac. This is the world of Yemen, South Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, escalating police shootings, human trafficking, an international kleptocracy, creeping fascism and the prospect of terminal global warming. People should make all the clothes they want, but leave the ontological ambitions to others.

I prefer wash and wear.

Those ‘clothes’ are a joke, right? Please tell me it’s a joke. The guy who ‘designed’ them certainly ain’t ever wearing that goofy stuff... he’s spending his day in a comfortably rumpled button down cotton shirt over a cotton tee... not a pom-pom Halloween costume or a ‘winged hat.’ Those aren’t clothes - they’re the ‘designer’s’ single finger salute to the rich, who appear to be gullible enough not to get the message.

In these outfits, it would be difficult to climb a hill, walk 30 blocks, or play with a child. Why are haute couture models made to look passive, static, unhappy, and entitled?

Thank you for this article. Not only is Mr. Anderson the future of fashion but he is also one of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet. I wish him well.

I understand the artistry, but for an average hard-working person like myself, I cannot ever see or imagine Anderson's designs on people like me. The pretentiousness alone is staggering. Truly beautiful clothing from the standpoint of Art, but out of reach and impractical for women like me. I would love to find a designer who understands working women of modest means - women of average size and shape, but still bold and practical.