St. Patrick’s day is just around the corner—and with that, it was as good a time as any to celebrate JW Anderson’s latest partnership with Guinness. As Jonathan Anderson, creative director and founder of the label, told Vogue: “This collaboration felt like an opportunity to take the heritage of Guinness and re-contextualize it through a craft-led lens that defines JW Anderson today.”
The brands came together for a bash on Monday night at NoLita’s The Mulberry; a bar hand-selected for having one of the best pours in the city, especially with Ryan Wagner, Guinness’s national ambassador and head of beer quality, manning the tap. “A Guinness is the easiest thing to order, no matter what kind of vibe you want,” he noted. “A pint always fits into your night, whether it’s a fancy evening or something more laid back.”
This particular evening had a more elevated feel to it with artists, editors, photographers, musicians, and stylists packing into the basement-level cocktail bar. Attendees walked around with customized JW Anderson x Guinness glasses in hand, grabbing pints of stout from the bar and immediately doing their best to split the G—be it with regular versions of “the black stuff” or the zero-proof options. Others opted for Guinness Espresso Martinis or Black Velvet cocktails, all crafted by bartenders sporting harp pins on their burgundy blazers. While drinks flowed from the bar, Irish-inspired bites circled the room; mini meat pies, Irish smoked salmon on toast, and cheddar cheese and onion tarts all going down a treat.
Many in attendance were sporting garments from the 17-piece capsule collection, which showcases decades worth of iconography. “I’ve always been fascinated by the graphic language of Guinness—it’s so immediate, so culturally loaded, yet incredibly refined,” Anderson said. The crowd showed off its range, styling oversized logo-emblazoned knits with denim and jersey-style tees with trousers. “It’s the perfect collaboration,” stylist Harry Lambert told Vogue. “It has that joyful, celebratory feel to it that’s inherently Irish. And of course, there’s nothing better than JW Anderson knitwear.”
As the evening continued, guests made their way back and forth from the dance floor to the bar—making it feel more like a night out with friends at a local pub than an industry affair. The volume got louder, the temperature hotter, and the lights dimmed immensely. “It’s a great party, and that’s not always a given anymore,” fashion illustrator Angelica Hicks laughed. “I bumped into and met really cool people.”
As last call at the bar approached, folks rounded out the occasion with a cheeky cigarette or two underneath the window display at Cafe Mulberry—taking a minute to admire the three wooly jumpers from the collection displayed on the mannequins.
