Like the younger clientele it courts, Versus is going through a lot of changes. Last week it was announced that Christopher Kane was departing his design post at Versace’s second line, launching a flurry of speculation that he was replacing Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga, in the highest-profile fashion-world shakeup since John Galliano’s unceremonious exit from Dior early last year. So far, however, that has not happened; in fact Kane’s camp has denied it.
At the same time, Versace announced a “strategic repositioning” of Versus, amounting to an increased digital presence, season-less collections, and a rotating roster of collaborators. Today it was learned that the first of the rotating designers will be Jonathan William Anderson, among London’s new crop of young eccentrics whose punk-inspired designs regularly appear in alterna-titles such as i-D, Ten, and Hero.
“I keep a close eye on young talent,” said Donatella Versace, “and have been impressed by Jonathan’s work over the last couple of years. Versus is all about fun, change, and digital. I can’t wait to present this collaboration.”
The Irish-born designer currently shows both a men’s and a women’s collection at London Fashion Week, under the name JW Anderson, which presumably he’ll continue. Earlier this week he won the Emerging Talent Award for Ready-to-Wear at the British Fashion Awards.
Anderson’s capsule collection for Versus — women’s, men’s, accessories — will launch in New York with an event planned for spring. In a glimpse of what to expect, he said he was inspired by an androgynous image from a 1996 campaign shot by Bruce Weber, a lighter moment between models Stella Tennant and Iván de Pineda. “For me, this iconic image says it all. That’s how I see Versus. It’s all about the relationship between a boy and a girl, a girl and a girl, a boy and a boy. Purity.”
Lee Carter is editor-in-chief of Hint Fashion Magazine.
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