JW Anderson’s S/S 25 Runway Show Was a Feast For the Eyes

It’s that time of year! No, I’m not referring to pumpkin spice latte season, but the start of something else that can caffeinate us, too: fashion month. IYKYK, it’s an energizing time. We finally get a peek into the future to see which trends are in the pipeline as designers present the spring collections that will drop in the next six months. While things have slowly begun to wind down for our editors after New York Fashion Week, it’s picking up across the pond. We’ve already seen the style set descend onto the cobbled streets of this city to attend runway shows at London Fashion Week. The calendar this season, on the surface, may have seemed a bit smaller compared to other cities such as Milan or Paris, but London is one of the most exciting cities, IMHO. It’s been the launching pad for some of the coolest emerging talent in fashion, including Jonathan Anderson, the creative force behind Loewe and JW Anderson.

Whereas other creative directors may choose to leave their home shores after reaching cult status or capturing a chair at a luxury house, Anderson has continuously shown his womenswear collections in London—including his recent spring/summer 2025 collection. Nestled across the way from Tower Bridge in an old fish market, Anderson showed a spring collection that managed to strike the perfect balance between adhering to the brand’s signature point of view while finding the freedom to explore something new. Much like previous shows, we saw elements of what first established this brand to notoriety, such as the debut of a new handbag, a celebrity-filled front row, and a street-style crowd that shows up in the recently released collection. However, with this S/S 25 show, there were other elements to the collection that felt as if they were aimed at satisfying an emerging cultural craving for a more clean-cut approach to clothing (while still having those surrealist elements of the house).

Overall, the spring show offered something for every type of fashion girl, which we will be breaking down into bite-sized nibbles. Keep scrolling to read our full debrief of the JW Anderson S/S 25 runway show.

The Celebrity Attendees

WHO: Normani Kordei Hamilton

WHO: Poppy Delevingne

WHO: Anna Wintour

WHO: Gugu Mbatha-Raw

WHO: Michelle Dockery

The Street Style

PSA: JW Anderson’s front row wasn’t the only thing worth paying attention to from the S/S 25 season. We also saw other attendees go all-out with their street-style looks by wearing pieces from the brand—including the S/S 25 menswear look worn by Mytheresa’s Chief Business Officer, Tiffany Hsu.

We also saw the model Mia Regan embrace the tradition of attendees wearing the brand’s pieces to the show by donning a printed knit mini fresh off the JW Anderson S/S 25 Menswear runway.

We also saw the style set wear pieces from the brand’s recently released F/W 24 collection—such as the London street style look above which features a JW Anderson paneled flap sweater.

It wasn’t just the knitwear, though, that stood as a crowd-favorite among the London style set this season. As we also saw one attendee wear the oversized gray coat dress spotted in the F/W 24 collection.

While there were plenty of examples this season of the style set wearing JW Anderson in the wild, one of the most easy-to-spot items was the brand’s handbags. Unlike other luxury houses, this brand has set itself apart from the crowd because of its more eclectic designs—e.g., many attendees wear viral animal-shaped clutch bags. That unique approach to design was something that we saw incorporated into the S/S 25 collection, too.

The Noteworthy Moments

1. Anderson Found “Liberation”

One of the defining elements of Anderson’s design perspective has always been his ability to draw out the drama—something still present in the S/S 25 womenswear show. In proper form to the house’s heritage, the collection had a few runway looks playing with portions. Most notably, models sauntered down the runway to upbeat techno, wearing voluminous skirts with skintight knitted tank tops (see runway looks 7, 8, 11, 18, and 22). Ultimately, the dramatic skirt shapes played into the collection’s larger theme of “setting strict boundaries as a liberating act”—the styling of the skirts gave their free-flowing shape a bit of structure. The looks were arguably the best example of how Anderson has built a luxury brand for sixteen years without becoming beholding to the structures (or silhouettes) of the past.

2. Boots Were Made for Walkin’

Anyone who’s been a fan of Anderson’s work for a long time is likely aware of the designer’s over-the-top footwear—after all, this creative force behind those viral Loewe S/S 23 sandals with life-like rose, egg, soap, and nail polish heels! But in the recent JW Anderson show, we saw a shift away from those more surrealist-inspired shoes to something made for walking. Throughout the S/S 25 collection, flat biker boots were styled for every look, which was far more approachable than footwear options featured in the past. But make no mistake; these boots still had those signature quirkier elements, such as a super-slouchy shape falling askew at the ankle and an oversized silver zipper across the top of the boot. They were the perfect example of how this collection walked the fine line between minimalism and maximalism.

3. Supreme Sweater Weather

While most might immediately associate JW Anderson with the brand’s footwear or bags, knitwear has been a part of the brand’s signature for countless seasons. According to the show notes, Anderson wanted to pay homage to that history by aiming to create a “time warp of sorts,” reflected through the usage of allover argyle motifs from previous collections (see runway look #14). In addition to drawing inspiration from the brand’s past, Anderson looked forward to the future by embracing various techniques. The more surrealist-leaning knitted dresses used giant weaving techniques to create bows and knots, but there was also a signature play at illusions through silk dresses with screen-printed knits on top. Each looks masterfully wove in aspects of where the brand has been and where it hopes to be in the future.

4. Meet, the Next It-Bag

Being that so much of JW Anderson’s popularity (at least in the womenswear market) was built upon the brand’s buzzy handbags, we’d be doing you a disservice if we didn’t bring up this season’s newest drop. The debut of the S/S 25 collection marked the introduction of “The Loafer Bag”—a rectangular shoulder with a slightly slouchy shape adorned with a whale-tail penny keeper. Drawing inspiration from traditional menswear, the bag is another manifestation of Anderson’s ability to make even the most “mundane” items in our wardrobes feel modern.

5. Structural Drop Waist Dresses Stole the Show

Last but certainly not least, the standout moment from JW Anderson’s S/S 25 show wasn’t related to a celebrity or a cult-status clutch but rather a structural drop-waist dress. Across social media, we saw the style set losing their minds over the silhouette of two dresses in the collection (explicitly look # 24 and look #25). With these two dresses, “straightforward” silk materials become something else entirely because of skillful tailoring. Black and cobalt blue silk was cut to create a deep v-neckline adorned with a lace inset and draped to create a drop-waist with a voluminous skirt. The show’s runway looks managed to embody what Anderson seemingly set out to do with his S/S 25 collection: serve us something to chew on without using too many ingredients. It was a satisfying treat.