JW Anderson makes the case for 'rugbycore' at Milan Fashion Week

'Tenniscore' is the sports trend of the summer, but come next year, 'Rugbycore' could be set to take over with Northern Irish designer JW Anderson championing the trend at Milan Fashion Week over the weekend.

Anderson, who is also the creative director at LVMH-owned Loewe, showed his latest own-brand collection on Father's Day and appeared to pay tribute to his own date by taking a bow at the end of his show wearing an Ireland rugby shirt. His father Willie Anderson is a former rugby player who captained the Irish international team.

Image from Jonathan.Anderson Instagram

Sporty themes permeated the show with Anderson showing his spin on rugby tops, giving them a more structured shape and fashion-forward aesthetic. In the show notes, the brand wrote that it was: “flipping the idea of British heritage, sporty silhouettes and rugby stripes are reimagined.”

As well as the highly commercial rugby shirts, which are sure to spawn a thousand high street copies, there was an emphasis on knitwear – from subdued matching sets in earthy tones to more exuberant colourful creations with 3D effects, which the brand said on Instagram was “creating the structured texture of popcorn”.

Beautifully tailored dresses, coats and shirts rounded out the JW Anderson collection.

Meanwhile in the more mainstream end of the market Rugby-inspired menswear brand Eden Park is making a big push and its agency Double H will be showcasing the SS24 collection from 10 July, 2023, at its impressive London showroom based in Islington. It will also be taking part in the IMC Tradeshow for the first time.