Irish designer Jonathan Anderson showcases new collection for Dior at Paris Fashion Week

Northern Irish fashion designer's collection received standing ovation and rapturous applause from guests including Roger Federer, Daniel Craig, and Rihanna

Actors Robert Pattinson, left, and Daniel Craig at the Dior spring-summer 2026 collection in Paris on Friday. Picture: AP/Christophe Ena

Irish designer Jonathan Anderson proposed some new ideas for menswear as he ushered in a new era for Dior at Paris Fashion Week during the spring/summer 2026 menswear shows on Friday. 

The designer’s debut offering for the storied French fashion house was a collision between an 18th-century dandy and a modern man.

The collection contained some of Anderson’s design hallmarks: he riffed on historical dress, preppiness, and sportswear, while paying homage to the Dior codes.

The first model emerged in a tailored blazer in Donegal tweed and oversized cargo shorts, with ruffles protruding from behind. The ‘Bar’ jacket, as it is known, is a Dior signature. This was Anderson’s take. The look was accessorised with a cravat, stripey socks, and fisherman sandals.

Rocky and Rihanna arrive for the Dior menswear show. Picture: Marc Piasecki

In this collection, Victoriana meets sportswear; military-inspired jackets are thrown over denim shirts; oversized Bermuda shorts have the pomp and ceremony of the 18th-century French court, without feeling like costume.

The 40-year-old designer has a penchant for refracting historical dress through a modern lens. If anyone could resurrect the cravat, or even the tie, perhaps it is Anderson, who pushes men to think differently about the parameters of their wardrobes.

A skilled interpreter of dress codes, Anderson identified properness and twisted it: there were upturned collars, untucked shirts, jeans with one leg rolled up, while ties were loosened or styled backwards. Almost every look was paired with trainers — which are sure to sell like hotcakes. Even the more polished looks were styled with jeans.

That sense of rebellion echoed in the presentation of the juvenile models, who sauntered down the runway to a soundtrack of Bruce Springsteen, with their slouchy posture and their hands thrown in their pockets.

Some more casual looks like logoed half-zips and knitwear and wide-leg jeans have instant commercial appeal.

At the juncture between past and present, Anderson’s proposition for the future was challenging, yet had a realistic slant.

American singer Sabrina Carpenter at the Dior menswear show. Picture: Francois Durand/Getty Images

If the standing ovation and rapturous applause from guests including Roger Federer, Daniel Craig, and Rihanna, suggested anything, the audience’s appetite for new Dior is already insatiable.

That the Northern Irish fashion designer would assume one of the most important positions in fashion first circulated as rumour in December.

It permeated most corners of the industry in the coming months, especially as Anderson stepped down from his position as artistic director at Loewe.

It was confirmed in April, when he succeeded Dior’s men’s artistic director, Kim Jones, and the prophecy was fulfilled when he replaced the brand’s outgoing women’s artistic director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, in early June. It is the first time the house has had a single creative director at the helm in over two decades.

Anderson’s arrival comes at a critical time for Dior. More than a household name, the brand is a global powerhouse, with revenues quadrupling between 2017 and 2023 to €9.5bn However, amid a luxury slowdown, declining demand, especially in China, is clinching profits at big houses from Louis Vuitton to Chanel. With a fresh outlook, Anderson is expected to stimulate momentum for the brand.

Despite the enormous task, Anderson is one of the most ambitious talents of his generation. Between 2013 and 2025, Anderson transformed Loewe, a sleepy Spanish leather goods brand with €200m in sales, to one of the foremost luxury brands in the world, with close to €2bn in sales.

Italian fashion designer Donatella Versace arriving  at the Dior menswear show. Picture Emma da Silva / AFP via Getty Images

He achieved these results while designing four collections for his eponymous label, JW Anderson, and two in collaboration with Japanese retailer Uniqlo. Now, Anderson’s workload jumps from six to 18 collections per year with the addition of Dior.

Many insiders are suggesting he is his generation’s Karl Lagerfeld: a prolific creative who designed across Chanel, Fendi, and Karl Lagerfeld at the time of his death in 2019. With the scale of his ambition, it is easy to understand the comparison.

Anderson’s next outing for Dior will be presented during the spring/summer 2026 womenswear shows at Paris Fashion Week in September.