Luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton today confirmed the long-standing rumour that it was to invest in J.W. Anderson - and, in a fashion-world curveball, named the label's eponymous designer creative director of Loewe into the bargain.
The deal highlights the phenomenal rise of London-based Anderson, who is just 29, since he burst onto the scene in 2008.
Although official details of LVMH's investment in his label have not been released, WWD reports that Bernard Arnault's powerhouse has taken a minority stake and that the designer believes the group is the perfect partner to help him grow his business - dubbing it the 'Oxford University of luxury goods'.
But it's his appointment to Loewe, in place of the recently-departed-for-Coach Stuart Vevers, that really has the fashion pack a-chatter. Anderson has made his name for his outstanding women's and men's ready-to-wear collections, rather than accessories - but he's apparently gung-ho on bringing a 'new personality' to the leather-centric label.
We can't wait to meet it.
