JW Anderson X Uniqlo’s New Collection Is Peak Craftcore

Jonathan Anderson has been busy this year, designing shows in a box for Spanish fashion brand Loewe, which he helms, and collaborating with sculpture and performance artists for his eponymous brand JW Anderson. Now, the designer wants nothing more than to relax into the summer. This, in turn, became the mentality for Anderson’s spring collection for Japanese fashion brand Uniqlo. 

For the latest JW Anderson x Uniqlo collab, which launches on Thursday, Anderson focused his attention on designing items that he would like to wear when the world fully opens up again. “I wanted something that was a bit crisp and subtle,” he says. “I always think you have to subtly get back into things.” To help shoppers transition out of the sweatpants they’ve been living in for more than a year and into the forthcoming season, he also “wanted [to create] something that felt timeless.” 

This manifested in baby soft, boxy T-shirts hemmed with chain stitches; oversized, linen polo shirts; and baseball caps made of vintage-looking denim and detailed with embroidered daisies. To fully round out spring’s lineup of essentials, he also included chambray dresses, smocked midi skirts, and rigid denim in light blue and oatmeal. 

Like many people these days, Anderson says that he’s become “very obsessed with handcraft.” (According to fashion search engine Lyst, search for “crochet” items and “beaded” jewelry is up 45% and 21%, respectively.) Craftcore-esque chain stitches and embroidery, therefore, became mainstays throughout the collection. “I love the subtlety of detail,” he says. “It doesn’t have to be so loud in the very beginning.”

The JW Anderson x Uniqlo spring ‘21 collection is now available at Uniqlo.com and in select Uniqlo stores.