There’s a lot to say about rivalries between fashion designers, and some are much more overt than others. I want to talk about what I feel is a potential fashion rivalry in the making between two of my favourite fashion designers: Jonathan Anderson at JW Anderson (and Loewe) and Steven Stokey-Daley at S.S. Daley. It’s not a rivalry that is bubbling up with the same passive aggressive tone as that between the Gvasalia brothers at Balenciaga and Vetements, although to be honest that particular rivarly only seems to show up on the catwalk at Vetements. However there have been many similarities that I’ve noticed time and again between JW Anderson, Loewe and S.S. Daley, both on and off the runway, and it all starts with a curious connection back in 2020 – but more on that later.
This may all just be coincidence of course, and the trend-setting power of Jonathan Anderson’s designs both at his own label JW Anderson and Spanish brand Loewe definitely cannot be ignored, with many other brands taking up the motifs and trends that he presents. However I felt that in his latest collection for JW Anderson, Spring 2025, he finally made his own Gvasalia-style swipe at Steven Stokey-Daley.
Of course this is all my own interpretation of what I’m seeing on the runway. I firmly believe that fashion is art and therefore completely up for interpretation by the viewer, and we may never know the artist’s (in this case fashion designer’s) true intent behind the piece.
Iconic Fashion Feuds
Fashion rivalry is nothing new. In the 1920s and 1930s, Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli were fierce competitors, each one having a different approach to fashion design, with Chanel being more minimalist and classic, and Schiaparelli embracing the surreal and avant-garde, often collaborating with artists including Salvador Dalí.
Two fashion designers with a similarly theatrical style who became rivals were Alexander McQueen and John Galliano in the 1990s and 2000s. In 1996, McQueen succeeded Galliano as creative director at Givenchy as the latter moved to Christian Dior.
As mentioned above, the Gvasalia brothers, Demna and Guram, are also in their own fashion rivalry. The two started out together at Vetements in 2014 with the brand seeing immediate success and Demna becoming creative director of Balenciaga in 2015. In 2019, Demna left Vetements. Since then, some of the looks on the Vetements runway have been clear references to Balenciaga or the rivalry between the two brothers – a Spring 2025 Vetements dress was almost identical to one seen in the Fall 2024 Balenciaga collection, and Gigi Hadid walked the runway in a minidress version of Kim Kardashian’s catsuit worn to watch a Balenciaga show a few seasons ago. T-shirt slogans include the passive aggressive “Not Mom’s Favourite”.
On to the fashion designers in the rivalry that is the focus of this post.
Who is Jonathan Anderson?
Jonathan Anderson, born in 1984 in Northern Ireland, is the founder of JW Anderson and the creative director of Loewe. He is a graduate of the London College of Fashion and has worked as a visual merchandiser at Prada. His first collection for his eponymous brand was a menswear collection released in 2008 which received critical acclaim, and in 2010 he received sponsorship from the British Fashion Council and produced a runway show at London Fashion Week.
In 2012 he replaced Christopher Kane at Versace’s diffusion line Versus, then in 2013, after LVMH took a minority stake in JW Anderson, he was named creative director for the Spanish luxury brand Loewe.
Who is Steven Stokey-Daley?
Steven Stokey-Daley was born in 1996 in Liverpool and graduated from the University of Westminster in 2020. He debuted his first collection for Fall 2020. Stokey-Daley explores class ideologies within his collections, juxtaposing his working class, Liverpudlian upbringing with that of the world of British elitism in schools. Harry Styles invested a minority stake in the brand, with the relationship between Styles and Stokey-Daley reaching back to 2020 when Styles wore Stokey-Daley’s clothes and bags.
Also dating back to 2020 funnily enough, is another Harry Styles-led phenomenon: the JW Anderson patchwork cardigan. Styles performed in the cardigan in February 2020 after his stylist Harry Lambert borrowed it for a rehearsal, and it suddenly went viral. The pandemic lockdowns happened and everyone was knitting their own version of the cardigan. This Harry Styles connection is just one of the many similarities that arise between JW Anderson and S.S. Daley, the brands.
The First Connection: Harry Styles
As mentioned above, Harry Styles is connected to the S.S. Daley brand by his investment in it and also his wearing pieces from the brand in 2020.
Also dating back to 2020 funnily enough, is another Harry Styles-led phenomenon: the JW Anderson patchwork cardigan. Styles performed in the cardigan in February 2020 after his stylist Harry Lambert borrowed it for a rehearsal, and it suddenly went viral. The pandemic lockdowns happened and everyone was knitting their own version of the cardigan. This Harry Styles connection is just one of the many similarities that arise between JW Anderson, Loewe and S.S. Daley.
Similarities and Shared Motifs
The similarities and shared motifs between Steven Stokey-Daley’s designs at S.S. Daley and Jonathan Anderson’s designs at JW Anderson and Loewe are numerous and I’m going to run through them one by one. At the end of the post I’ll discuss what I feel is Jonathan Anderson’s retaliatory motif within his most recent collection for JW Anderson.
It’s up to you to decide whether or not these are just pure coincidence, the result of a natural flow of trends and ideas as is normal in fashion between brands and fashion designers from one season to another, or a more deliberate uptake of ideas.
1. The Human Form
For Fall 2022, Jonathan Anderson presented some very cheeky designs across both womenswear and menswear. Nude bodies and torsoes were printed onto clothing, with the necks cut off right at the neckline of the garment, giving the optical illusion of the wearer being naked.
Anderson explored the theme again for the Pre-Fall 2023 collection of his own brand, and in Fall 2023, Steven Stokey-Daley presented a similar motif for his menswear collection, however the figure was not cut off at the neckline.
2. Beading
Large beads come together to form flowers in the JW Anderson Spring 2022 menswear collection; for Spring 2025, S.S. Daley showed garments, including this skirt, made up of beads forming floral patterns.
3. Forms of Restraint I – Pockets
Awkwardly placed pockets barely big enough for the hands feature at JW Anderson Fall 2023 and S.S. Daley Fall 2024 Menswear.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t a new motif for Jonathan Anderson – these pockets previously appeared in his Fall 2013 collection.
4. Forms of Restraint II – Crisscross
Another throwback in the JW Anderson Fall 2023 collection was the crisscross belt, which had also appeared in the Fall 2013 collection.
I did liken that to the crisscross ribbons in S.S. Daley Spring 2023 Menswear, and also worth noting is the continuation of the pocket/restraint theme into Spring 2025.
5. Forms of Restraint III – Bound Legs
For Fall 2021, both Jonathan Anderson and Steven Stokey-Daley showed restrained legs.
6. Sleep References I – Sleeping Bags
There’s been a number of references to sleep within the collections of both designers. Here’s the first: sleeping bags. The Fall 2021 Menswear collection for Loewe featured models carrying as many bags as they could handle, including rolled up sleeping bags. The rolled up sleeping bag showed up in the Fall 2023 Menswear collection at S.S. Daley, then again in his Fall 2024 Menswear collection.
7. Sleep References II – Pillows
Jonathan Anderson kicked off an entire trend with his Pre-Fall 2023 show with models holding pillows as they walked down the runway. Countless other designers and brands consequently sent their own models down the runway holding pillows or with pillow-shaped bags.
This was actually the first time that I took note of the similarities between Anderson and Stokey-Daley. For S.S. Daley Fall 2024 Menswear, the runway was decorated with stacks of pillows. It immediately made me think of those models in the JW Anderson Pre-Fall 2023 clutching pillows, and I started to look out for similarities from then on.
8. Nature I: Fruit & Veg
Fruit and vegetables have appeared on clothes and even painted on models’ bodies in the designs of Jonathan Anderson – here’s JW Anderson Fall 2021 Menswear and JW Anderson Pre-Fall 2023.
Grapes, oranges, and other fruits also appear in Stokey-Daley’s designs: here’s S.S. Daley Fall 2023 Menswear and S.S. Daley Spring 2024 Menswear.
9. Nature II: Fresh Flowers & Plants
Fresh flowers and plants appear inthe Fall 2021 Menswear collections of both designers.
Fresh flowers continued to be an important prop on the runway for Steven Stokey-Daley: see above at S.S. Daley Fall 2022 Menswear and S.S. Daley Spring 2023 Menswear.
Of course it’s impossible not to mention the viral clothes and shoes at Loewe Spring 2023 Menswear, where Jonathan Anderson had grass growing through coats, jeans, and footwear.
10. Animals 1: Ducks
Jonathan Anderson put the silhouettes of ducks (and roosters) on shirts at Loewe for the Fall 2020 Menswear collection. Duck silhouettes appeared on a cardigan at S.S. Daley Fall 2022 Menswear…
…and again in Spring 2024 Menswear.
Both designers showed intarsia ducks too – Steven Stokey-Daley for S.S. Daley Spring 2022 Menswear, and Jonathan Anderson with these very accusatory-looking ducks (!) for JW Anderson Fall 2022 Menswear.
11. Animals II: Rabbits
Rabbits appeared as hand-drawn illustrations and silhouetted figures similar to the ducks above in the S.S. Daley Spring 2023 Menswear collection.
More cartoonish rabbits featured in the Pre-Fall 2023 collection at JW Anderson, and then in the Pre-Fall 2024 Menswear collection at S.S. Daley, complete with a pom-pom tail.
12. Knitwear I: Intarsia
Both designers make frequent use of intarsia in their collections.
13. Knitwear II: Texture
Another knitwear similarity is the use of textured knitwear stitches – here a popcorn stitch adds tactile appeal in S.S. Daley Fall 2021 Menswear and JW Anderson Spring 2024 Menswear.
14. The Random Item
Random items get attached to long sleeve tops – a glove at JW Anderson for the Spring 2023 Menswear collection, a plate at S.S. Daley for the Fall 2023 Menswear collection.
15. The Brooch
Crocheted and handcrafted brooches are another shared motif – a crocheted pansy appears on a pair of shorts for S.S. Daley Spring 2022 Menswear, and an abstract crocheted brooch is placed on a jacket lapel for the designer’s Spring 2024 Menswear collection.
Jonathan Anderson places poinsettia brooches on sweaters for his JW Anderson Fall 2024 Menswear collection, while S.S. Daley revisits Spring 2024’s lapel brooches for Fall 2024 Menswear.
16. The Onesie
This one-piece never caught on commercially, though Ireland’s 2023 Eurovision entry did bring the male one-piece back into the spotlight momentarily.
17. The Mini Dress
Femininity within menswear is a key trend right now, so it’s not surprising to see designers featuring dresses on the runway. Jonathan Anderson showed this one-shoulder scallop-hem dress for Fall 2022 Menswear; Steven Stokey-Daley showed a tassel-hem dress with an extreme scoop neck for Fall 2024 Menswear.
18. Wallpaper Stripes
I call these wallpaper stripes simply because they make me think of wallpaper due to their colour and placement. Above is Loewe Spring 2020 Menswear by Jonathan Anderson and S.S. Daley Fall 2024 Menswear shown by Steven Stokey-Daley at Pitti Uomo.
19. Tassels
Tassels have been a recurring motif for Jonathan Anderson, both at JW Anderson and at Loewe. Above is JW Anderson Spring 2020 Menswear and S.S. Daley Fall 2021 Menswear.
20. Dip-Dye Trousers
These trousers at Loewe Fall 2021 and S.S. Daley Spring 2022 Menswear are split into two different colours, giving a dip-dye effect.
21. The Polo Dress
The polo shirt is extended into a maxi dress at Loewe Spring 2018 and S.S. Daley 2024 Menswear. Also: there’s that sleeping bag again.
22. Sleep References III: The Retort
Finally, it’s time for what I think is Jonathan Anderson’s retort, his way of saying to Steven Stokey-Daley that he sees what’s happening.
On the left is S.S. Daley Fall 2024 Menswear – again this is the show where the runway featured piles of pillows. It was a key show for Steven Stokey-Daley as he was a featured designer at Pitti Uomo in Florence. The pillow motif had been shown in the Pre-Fall 2023 collection at JW Anderson where male models came down the runway holding pillows.
As another reference to sleep, this navy blue and white intarsia sweater features the words ‘SNUG AS A BUG’, a reference to the idiom ‘snug as a bug in a rug’, which itself refers to the sense of being very cozy and comfortable, most commonly used for the sense of being wrapped up in blankets in bed. This makes sense here in this runway show with the pillows, and the sleeping bags that the models are holding (another motif originally done by Jonathan Anderson, in Loewe Fall 2021 Menswear, see above).
On to JW Anderson Spring 2025 Menswear, where I couldn’t help but notice this sweater. It’s intarsia, it’s a sleep reference. It’s in navy blue and white. It says ‘REAL SLEEP’. What could it mean?
The fact that it’s a reference to sleep and it’s in the same style and colours makes me think it’s a response from Jonathan Anderson to Steven Stokey-Daley. Again, I could be reading way more into this than actually exists, but the great thing about art is that we can put our interpretation onto it.
First of all I thought about the word ‘REAL’. Could this be Anderson saying that he’s the ‘REAL DEAL’, saying that his designs are the more original ones?
My second thought was that ‘REAL SLEEP’ rhymes with ‘REAL CHEAP’, which could be used to insinuate a lack of effort on the part of somebody else. Of course the only way to know for sure would be to ask Jonathan Anderson himself, and I have no means of doing that! I just found this particularly curious and as I looked into the collections of both fashion designers I found more and more similarities, so felt compelled to write this article. Hopefully it’s been interesting to you and made you think a bit more deeply about these collections too.