Quirk Factor

There's no better way to develop self-expression than by simply having fun, as seen with the quirky and kitsch autumn/winter 2023 collections from Doublet, JW Anderson and Matty Bovan.

- MAYA MENON

It is often said that humour and play have long been lost on fashion. If you’re looking for belly laughs, tongue-in-cheek wit and room for zany experimentation, chances are you won’t uncover it among the throes of poised runway models and artisanal displays. But then again, times are changing—and so is the script on style and self-expression.

Comfortably nestled within a hotbed of bodycon silhouettes and haute couture is a design language of a different kind: the quirk factor. British fashion designer JW Anderson, who launched his eponymous label in 2008, is no stranger to the vernacular. In fact, one might even call him a pioneer. Anderson’s first runway collection was presented off schedule at London Fashion Week in September 2008 and was a smorgasbord of everything we’ve come to love the designer for today: strategic heapings of playful prints, barely there knits and in-your-face accessories.