Casting a brand ambassador is no slapdash decision. They need to align. They need to embody the label. They need, in short, to make sense, and after watching Josh O'Connor in God's Own Country, Loewe's creative director Jonathan Anderson knew they'd found their man.
Quickly becoming fast friends, the two share an understanding of creativity - and it's that topic the two discuss at length, in the sumptuous surroundings of L'Escargot in London, as part of this year's Esquire Townhouse @ Your House in partnership with Breitling.
Moderated by art historian and writer Ferren Gipson, the conversation explores the pandemic's effects upon the cultivation of creativity, how it affects fashion, Hollywood and the big screen, and how the triangular symbiotic relationship shared by each has been altered by the current state of things.
Since O'Connor's breakout turn in God's Own Country - a modern love story set against the realities of rural life - the 30-year-old actor has quickly amassed a remarkable CV of well-lauded roles, and with them, a swelling fandom. Starring opposite Annette Bening and Bill Nighy in Hope Gap, and most famously playing Prince Charles in Netflix's dynastic triumph The Crown, O'Connor is a veritable rising star. He's even got an Esquire cover.
Jonathan Anderson has enjoyed a similar trajectory. After receiving British Fashion Council funding for his eponymous brand in 2010, JW Anderson has become of the few newer brands to enjoy name recognition and brand cachet in recent years. A stint designing Versace's diffusion Versus line led to the creative directorship at Spanish luxury label Loewe, steering the house into a fresher age defined by gender fluidity and Dali-esque accessorisation.
Special thanks to L’Escargot, 48 Greek St, Soho, London W1D 4EF, lescargot.co.uk