Who is Jonathan Anderson’s boyfriend, Pol Anglada? The Northern Irish designer was just named Dior’s sole creative director – alongside him is his ex-Loewe partner, who he calls ‘an inspiration’

On June 2, luxury conglomerate LVMH confirmed one of fashion’s worst-kept secrets: designer Jonathan Anderson will be taking over Dior as the brand’s sole creative director. News of Anderson’s appointment comes mere days after Dior womenswear creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri’s exit was announced.

“I think this is going to be great for the maison. There will be consistency and coherence in the products, but also in terms of communication, I think our message will be much clearer,” Delphine Arnault, chair and CEO of Christian Dior Couture, said in an interview with Vogue. “Of course, it’s a big responsibility – there are a lot of connections that need to be made. For any house, having new artistic direction can be a challenge. It takes a few seasons to see exactly what the vision is. But I think [Anderson’s] totally energised by the idea.”

This is the first time the brand will be run under a single creative director since Christian Dior himself helmed his eponymous label.

Stepping into his new role, Anderson has his work cut out for him. After earning critical acclaim over his 11 years at Loewe, Anderson will be designing 10 collections per year at Dior – all the while continuing to design six collections per year for his namesake label, JW Anderson. Additionally, JW Anderson’s ongoing collaboration with Uniqlo adds two extra collections per year, bringing Anderson’s total to 18 collections per year.

In her interview with Vogue, Arnault also mentioned that Anderson would be bringing key talents whom he’s worked with in the past to Dior. While she didn’t specify or give any names, the fashion world has taken note that Loewe’s women’s ready-to-wear head designer Pol Anglada has listed himself as a senior designer at Christian Dior Couture since February.