Oversized knits hit London catwalk at J.W. Anderson show

Smartphone-inspired motifs plus a touch of medieval style and a celebration of knitwear drove Jonathan Anderson's London Fashion Week Men's show Sunday, with his brash crochet creations lighting up the catwalk.

Anderson, whose fashion forward collections have made him one of the stars of the fashion industry, presented the autumn-winter 2017 collection by his own label, J.W. Anderson, using smartphone app-style icons as one decorative direction.

To the sound of electro music, the models sported blocks of brightly embroidered and crocheted patterns on sweaters, wide scarves, shoes and backpacks.

Bloggers, journalists and buyers lined the catwalk, amused as some models lost their way on the makeshift runways that snaked through a red-brick military building.

"It kind of looks like an iPhone, it looks like apps," the 32-year-old designer, who is also artistic director of LVMH's Spanish leathergoods brand Loewe, told journalists after the show.

Son of former rugby international Willie Anderson, he also presented thick woolly coats with XXL sleeves that concealed the hands and tumbled down to the mid-thigh.

Anderson admitted that their length rendered them "non-functional", joking that they were "not good for eating a dinner like spaghetti Bolognese".

Although drawing inspiration from cutting-edge technology, the collection also borrowed from history with prints recalling medieval frescoes decorating a cosy suit, paired with puffer pants.

The collection was designed to inspire a feeling of comfort with its generous, "protective" shapes, said Anderson, epitomised by the long shirts evoking the traditional shalwar kameez outfits worn in South Asia.