Since the official announcement that Jonathan Anderson would be Dior’s new creative director, overseeing both the women, men’s collections and haute couture, he became the first designer in the maison’s history to occupy this position of total command, a fact that highlights the LVMH group’s confidence in his creative leadership. It was clear that the maison was undergoing a transformation that went far beyond the visual.
It was a symbolic change of identity and, without exaggeration, one of the most eagerly awaited moments of the season. Anderson, who built his reputation by revitalizing Loewe with a bold, hybrid, and experimental aesthetic, arrived at Dior bringing not only commercial experience but also an authorial vision that seeks to dialogue with the past without being trapped by it. His women’s debut in the Spring/Summer 2026 collection, presented on October 1, 2025, during Paris Fashion Week, is precisely the first act of this ambitious narrative.
His first women’s collection for Dior marked the beginning of an era that not only revisits the brand’s codes, but revolutionizes them with intelligence, sensitivity, and a healthy dose of creative irony. Anderson is 41 years old and spent more than a decade at the helm of Loewe, where his ability to intertwine craftsmanship, pop culture, conceptual language, and commercial appeal in equal measure was evident.
His arrival coincides with a delicate period for the luxury market: slowed growth, selective consumers, and demand for brands with strong purpose and identity. Dior, with its iconic legacy, needed a movement that was more than aesthetic renewal; it needed a reinterpretation of meaning.
More than a simple transition of leadership, the arrival of the creative director symbolizes a strategic turning point in Dior’s history. After a period of stability under Maria Grazia Chiuri, the brand now seems to be aiming for something more conceptual, less literal and more willing to take risks. And Jonathan Anderson, whose signature aesthetic has always oscillated between the experimental and the emotional, seems to be the ideal choice to lead this change in tone.
Innovation, personal signature, and contrasts
The collection delved deep into the Dior archives. References to the iconic “New Look” of 1947, with its marked waists and voluminous skirts, were there. But nothing was exactly as it had been before.
The proportions were altered, the fabrics replaced, the finishes softened or deconstructed. It was like Anderson took every symbol of Dior, the Bar suit, the romanticism of the 1950s, the glamour of period silhouettes, and placed them under a contemporary lens, slightly distorting the image until it became something new. This exercise in reinterpretation is one of the hallmarks of his work, and here he uses it masterfully, creating a Dior that is nostalgic, but never dated.
The setting of the show also reinforced this atmosphere. In a minimalist setting, punctuated by black and white videos from the maison’s historical archives, there was a kind of melancholic aura in the air.
It was not a paralyzing melancholy, but the kind of nostalgia that provokes movement, that serves as a springboard for the present. Anderson seems to understand that fashion today is, in many ways, a contest between memory and desire. And by bringing the past to the center of the conversation, he does not turn it into a relic, but into creative raw material.
Another highlight of the collection was the contrast between tradition and innovation, which was evident in both the silhouettes and choice of materials. Delicate lace was layered over utilitarian fabrics. Classic jackets appeared in washed denim. Tailoring was softened with organic folds, while wide skirts gained practical pockets and unexpected slits. This juxtaposition of opposites, the aristocratic and the urban, the old and the new, the artisanal and the industrial, forms a narrative that is central to Anderson’s language and, now, is beginning to shape a new identity for Dior.
Repercussions, expectations, and some criticism
Although the collection was very well received by critics, it also sparked debate. Some analysts questioned the absence of a striking silhouette that would synthesize the new Dior woman. Others pointed out that, despite many interesting ideas, there was a lack of clear visual cohesion. Still, the general consensus is that Anderson delivered a bold debut, with the potential to develop in rich and unexpected directions. After all, the first show is never about perfection, it’s about establishing territory.
The decision to start this new cycle with a nostalgic dive is no coincidence. At a time when global fashion faces a more unstable economic scenario, with a slowdown in the luxury market and more demanding consumers, brands with strong heritage such as Dior are betting on memory as an emotional asset.
Nostalgia has established itself as a dominant trend, not only aesthetic, but also symbolic. It offers a sense of comfort, continuity, and roots. And by reinterpreting the maison’s historical codes, Anderson aligns himself with this movement, but with a vision that goes beyond nostalgia: he treats the past as provocation, not as a museum.
The public reception was also intense. The show was widely commented on social media, with emphasis on the sculptural accessories and the mix between the ultra-feminine and the utilitarian. Celebrities in attendance helped amplify the media impact of the debut, while early commercial bets already point to some items with viral potential, including a new take on the Saddle bag and high boots with asymmetrical lacing. In this sense, Anderson seems to perfectly understand the balance between art and desire, concept and commerce.
A new chapter with room for growth
What comes next is still a mystery. But if what we saw in this debut is anything to go by, Jonathan Anderson’s Dior will be a fertile ground for experimentation, without losing the elegance, rigor, and theatricality that have always defined the brand. He shows that tradition does not have to mean rigidity, and that the most powerful innovation often lies in listening to the echoes of the past with eyes wide open to the future.
The Anderson era at Dior has begun. And it promises to be anything but predictable.
____________________
This article above was edited by Eduarda Mahrouk
Like this type of content? Check Her Campus Cásper Líbero home page for more!