“I’ve been waiting for this moment pretty much since I started this job,” says CEO Jenny Galimberti, reflecting on JW Anderson’s major rebrand. Galimberti joined the company in 2019 from Louis Vuitton. “It really feels that, despite Jonathan’s growing responsibilities, this new way of working allows him to give a lot more to his own company in terms of his personal taste.”
By “growing responsibilities,” she is referring to Jonathan Anderson’s recent takeover of Dior, where he now oversees 10 collections a year across womenswear, menswear, accessories, and couture. To help manage that load, the designer announced this summer that his namesake label, JW Anderson—founded in 2008—would adopt a more lifestyle-focused approach, offering homeware, collectibles, and even coffee-flavored tea alongside fashion.
This shift also serves as a smart pricing strategy at a time when high prices are turning luxury consumers away. With items ranging from £30 for coffee-flavored tea to £6,535 for 18-karat yellow gold chain-link earrings—and plenty of chairs, mugs, jeans, sweaters, coffee table books, and accessories in between—there’s an entry point for every budget.
“When you work for a brand that carries a name like Jonathan’s, you know you need to let that personality come through in the product, in the stores, on social media, in everything,” says Galimberti. “I feel we’re finally there. Before, we were maybe a little shy about fully representing him, but he has such amazing taste. Why not use him not only to design a collection but also to curate this entire world?”
While the relaunch officially began in September with updates to the website and the Soho store, the lifestyle chapter was fully showcased this past weekend with the opening of the brand’s second London store at 105–107 Pimlico Road—an address known for its furniture shops. When Galimberti and I met in early November, the entire London team was working hard toward a December opening to catch holiday shoppers.
We spoke in a conference room at the company’s Islington headquarters, which had been set up to resemble the soon-to-open store so teams could test different layouts. “I feel galvanized,” Galimberti says when asked. “Being CEO of a small company like this, you work across everything. At bigger brands, you have your slice of the cake and focus on that. Here, I get to get my hands dirty. It’s like doing a mini MBA.”
Her career path reads like a dream for anyone in fashion: communications and marketing roles at Prada, L’Oréal, Gucci, and Dunhill appear on her LinkedIn, followed by a stint as SVP of global marketing communications at LVMH’s crown jewel, Louis Vuitton, from 2015 to 2019. Yet Galimberti says she “sort of fell into fashion,” starting as an intern at Christie’s auction house in Milan. “My boss at Christie’s moved to Prada and asked me to join her.”
Galimberti, who grew up in Milan with an English mother, always wanted to live in London, but her career kept her in Europe. “In a way, I was more valuable in Italy back then because I spoke English,” she says. But good things happen when you least expect them: “I’d done almost five years at Louis Vuitton, and it was probably time for a change. I met Jonathan, and he was looking for a CEO. I don’t come from finance or merchandising, which is the norm, but from marketing. Jonathan is very creative from a marketing perspective, and sometimes you need someone to bring that creativity to life.”
She moved to London and…She was just getting settled in when the pandemic hit a year later. “I think many businesses, especially wholesale-focused ones like ours, grew in unconventional ways during that period through our own channels,” Galimberti recalls. “We found ourselves wanting to do things differently and expand our direct-to-consumer [DTC] offering. But the serious discussions about rebranding began about a year and a half ago.”
Before Anderson assumed his current role at Dior earlier this spring, he was the creative director of Loewe. While there was intense speculation about his next moves within LVMH in recent years, few questioned the future of his own label. “I think we flew under the radar because things were progressing smoothly,” Galimberti says. “We could have continued as we were, but it was crucial to establish a clear concept for the team to work on while Jonathan focuses elsewhere. It’s working really well.”
Galimberti explains that when she joined six years ago, JW Anderson was a completely different company—operating solely on a wholesale model, presenting seasonally at fashion weeks, with just one store on Shoreditch High Street. Now, the brand is shifting toward a DTC model. Following successful store launches in Milan and London’s Soho over the past two months, and with Pimlico recently opened, plans for next year include stores in Paris and New York.
She notes that the brand now sells through about a third of its former wholesale accounts. “We’ve maintained our closer partnerships and will continue working with them, but we’re moving toward a ‘store-within-a-store’ concept because we need that kind of environment,” she says. “You can’t just have a rack of clothes in fashion and a mug in homeware. It doesn’t make sense. Everything has to exist in the same world—like a curated JW Anderson cabinet of curiosities.”
Galimberti describes how creative meetings have evolved, or stayed the same, since the rebrand. “Much like before, Jonathan will have an initial meeting with the creative teams to discuss his ideas and set the direction for the season,” she says. “Sometimes he’ll show them things he’s found and ask for opinions. The teams include fashion, but now also what we call home and garden. They source and develop products, like the Murano glassware or Nicholas Mosse ceramics.”
Some items may remain in stores beyond a single season—another departure from the wholesale model. “They belong to us and will stay in the store based on how well the product is performing, customer response, or simply if we feel it’s a very representative piece,” Galimberti explains.
Beyond fashion and homeware, Anderson, Galimberti, and the team aim to develop an art pillar. They are currently working with curator Andrew Bonacina to create a program for showcasing and selling art. The plan is to include some pieces in the January showrooms and refresh the offering every six months. Another new category is jewelry, approached in two ways: offering sourced antique pieces, and developing high jewelry in-house.
Galimberti hasn’t ruled out the possibility of future JW Anderson shows. For now, however, the teams are focused on building customer dialogue through community-based events. In September, the brand co-hosted the London Fashion Week opening dinner with the British Fashion Council. More recently, it partnered with luxury retailer Ounass to welcome Fashion Trust Arabia guests at a dinner in Doha.Before the event, Anderson and Galimberti focused most of their attention on speaking with VICs. “A brand of this size and with this concept needs a community to support it,” Galimberti explains.
The conference room at JW Anderson’s headquarters was arranged to mirror the Pimlico store that opened this weekend.
She notes that the concept is still very new, and it will take a few seasons to fully establish it. “Right now, we’re still in the first season and need to give it time to see what works and what doesn’t. The pleasant surprise is that the enthusiasm isn’t just coming from the press, but from customers as well. It seems we’re reaching a new audience and performing better than anticipated.”
What has been her main insight two months after relaunching the brand? “We’ve had to transform into an interiors company. We were experienced in selling bags, clothes, and shoes, and we knew how to ship them. But now we’re operating as a company that does much more than that. We had to find the right stores to showcase the products, learn how to sell them online, and manage the logistics of shipping them. So, there’s been a lot of practical learning.”
She adds, “But the best part so far is the confirmation that the concept is working. We’re selling products, some at higher price points, and we’re also shifting our sales approach. Previously, it was very volume-driven. Now, we’re focusing much more on value.”
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Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about JW Andersons rebrand under CEO Jenny Galimberti designed to answer questions from a general audience to those with a deeper interest in business strategy
Beginner General Questions
1 Who is Jenny Galimberti
Jenny Galimberti is the CEO of JW Anderson the fashion brand founded by designer Jonathan Anderson She took on the role to lead the companys strategic direction and commercial growth
2 What was the JW Anderson rebrand
It was a comprehensive overhaul of the brands identity including a new logo updated packaging a refined website and a sharper focus on its core products and storytelling The goal was to make the brand feel more cohesive accessible and true to its creative roots
3 Why did JW Anderson need a rebrand
The brand had become known for viral hits but its overall identity felt fragmented The rebrand aimed to unify the experience clarify what JW Anderson stands for and build a stronger more lasting connection with customers beyond just single trendy items
4 Whats different now after the rebrand
Youll see a cleaner more modern logo minimalist beigeandblack packaging a muchimproved online shopping experience and a clearer emphasis on the brands pillars knitwear signature bags and Jonathan Andersons unique design perspective
Strategic Advanced Questions
5 What was the core strategy behind Jenny Galimbertis rebrand
The strategy was editing and elevation Instead of chasing every trend she focused on strengthening the brands foundation by
Editing Simplifying product lines and clarifying the brands message
Elevating Improving quality customer experience and perceived value
Balancing Maintaining highfashion credibility while making the brand more commercially accessible
6 How did she balance creativity and commercial success
Galimberti worked closely with founder Jonathan Anderson to protect his creative vision while applying commercial discipline She focused on making the hero products more available and marketable ensuring creativity could sustainably drive business
7 What was a key problem the rebrand solved
It solved the problem of