Jonathan Anderson’s costume designs in Luca Guadagnino’s latest film channels Loewe’s design heritage through sultry tennis whites and playful, preppy styles.
The creative partnership of Italian film director Luca Guadagnino and Loewe, JW Anderson creative director, Jonathan Anderson unveils once again in Challengers, which released theatrically in the U.S. on April 26.
The story of Challengers follows the journey of Tashi, played by Zendaya, who finds herself in a ménage à trois set in the world of professional tennis. The film co-stars Mike Faist as Tashi’s former flame, Art, and Loewe Ambassador Josh O’Connor as her husband, Patrick. With a soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the film slices back and forth in time over a decade and a half of rocky relationships among the trio.
In Challengers, Luca Guadagnino serves up a film that is as much about the volleys of human emotion as it is about the physical rallies on the tennis court; it is here where Jonathan Anderson‘s costume designs are used as a narrative device.
The film shows us Tish, Art, and Patrick at the moment of their union and later, when they have grown up and drifted apart. This is the boundary that separates the wardrobe of the principal characters, a central inspiration for the costumes signed by Jonathan Anderson.
In the film, it seems that Anderson has crafted shirts and t-shirts with Loewe to sartorially showcase the personality and emotions of the three tennis players. Celebrating Anderson’s role as costume designer in Challengers, Loewe has released special edition ‘I TOLD YA’ T-shirts and sweatshirts, worn by the film’s protagonists, both available in gray and white color ways.
From the tongue-in-cheek “I TOLD YA” slogan shirt (a direct reference to an old photograph of J.F. Kennedy) to the tailored suit that Zendaya pairs with heavy jewelery courtside, additional details about the character’s emotional state are revealed through the clothing worn, as the character’s undertake adulthood.
As Tashi professionally coaches her husband, and erotically coaches both men in her life, her choice of clothing becomes a proclamation of power, desire, and personal identity. One outfit sees Tashi adorn a set of Cartier jewels and pairs a Loewe cotton shirtdress with Chanel espadrilles – each garment, each accessory, a tool to cast an intimidating flair between the two men she is romantically and platonically infatuated with.
Art and Patrick each seek something different from Tashi, their desires reflected in their attire. Art, the obedient protégé, dons the uniform of the “good boy” – crisp Uniqlo polo shirts and navy quarter zips, a testament to his compliance. Patrick, on the other hand, exudes a rebellious energy, clad in mismatched athleisure that mirrors his refusal to conform. His disheveled appearance belies a deeper complexity, a yearning for challenge and submission.
In “Challengers,” Anderson sees clothes becoming characters in their own right, speaking volumes without uttering a word. It’s a testament to Anderson’s potency to understand the mundanity of everyday clothes and capture the nuances they can communicate. In Loewe autumn 2024 men’s collection, Anderson explored internet culture – Internet boyfriends, “Only Fans” culture on X – and managed to insert a kinkiness to everyday clothes like sweatpants and athletic socks. In Challengers, tennis wear is manipulated in a similar way.
As the camera explores details of character’s bodies – highlighting muscles as they tense and every drop of sweat – the clothing becomes evocative of each character’s position in the developing love triangle. In a similar way to Anderson’s autumn 2024 Loewe collection, previously mentioned, the tennis wear and athleisure worn by Tashi, Art and Patrick in Challengers, becomes eroticised and thus, instruments for each character’s voice.
Imagery courtesy of Loewe and Amazon MGM Studios.
