Challengers and Jonathan Anderson
Luca Guadagnino’s cinematic techniques and Jonathan Anderson’s costume designs have built the Challengers trend: brand endorsements, success as an identity and the old-money nonchalance of JFK Jr.
Thanks for opening up ONE-PIECE! Each week, I’ll be selecting a garment, accessory or trend to analyse and style in the hope that you’ll find something new or interesting to play around with in your own wardrobe. This week, our ONE-PIECE, which I’ll file under trend, is the latest film by Luca Guadagnino.
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Challengers is one of my favourite films for 2024 so far. I was lucky enough to catch the premiere in Sydney at the State Theatre on March 26, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
I’m a huge Luca Guadagnino fan. There’s something very personal about his films. The stories are often about intimate themes you’d only discuss with your closest friends if anyone at all. When you’re watching a Guadagnino movie, you feel like you’re in the room with the characters: as an object, a fly on the wall, or simply being unseen, spying on something you probably shouldn’t be seeing. That voyeurism makes it feel like you’re the only person to watch his films.
After the first trailer of Challengers was released last year, I was a little shocked and disappointed. It looked like he had let go of all his signature cinema techniques to go Hollywood. While there aren’t as many of his still frame shots (sad) as there have been in his past films (I Am Love and Call Me By Your Name), Guadagnino has still found a unique way to tell this story.
At the Sydney premiere, Zendaya asked us not to judge the characters for their choices too harshly. She also said that, to her, it felt like it was a story about co-dependance. A theme I love (shoutout to Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life) and enjoyed uncovering in the film.
The Jonathan Anderson Show
From the film to the promo tour, Challengers has been making stylish headlines. Highsnobiety is calling it 2024’s most stylish movie, Vogue states Zendaya serves ace after ace and Harpers Bazaar says it slays tenniscore—and the film has only come out today in Australia (global to follow).
It has everything to do with the fashion designer Jonathan Anderson, whom Guadagnino asked to be his Costume Designer. Anderson’s appreciation for art and oddity, and the way he interprets our world through that, is one of the many reasons why I think he is one-of-a-kind and a leader in the fashion industry.
This week, Anderson was announced as one of TIME’s most influential people of 2024. Luca Guadagnino wrote, “What I love about Jonathan Anderson is that he is grounded, and he has an innate understanding of how fashion and human behaviour intertwine. Costume design in particular takes a great deal of humanity and wisdom, and working with him in the past has helped me better understand the characters whose stories we were telling. His work is always ahead of the curve. What he does at JW Anderson and Loewe is fashion that belongs to us all, now and in the future.”
For Challengers, Anderson created three distinct costume identities for the characters. He told Samantha Conti of WWD, “in ‘Challengers’ the pace is intense, and the characters are too. As an audience, you’re never quite sure who to root for. And clothes are an instrument of that.”
Design sketches above from WWD, courtesy of Loewe.
Challengers Inspired Outfits
The combination of Luca Guadagnino’s cinematic techniques and Jonathan Anderson’s costume designs is the collaboration I didn’t know I needed. Throughout the film, I often caught myself feeling inspired by what the characters wore—all so similar in age and career path yet identifiably different in style.
Here, I’m creating my own outfits inspired by the fil. From the brand endorsements, success as an identity and the old-money nonchalance of JFK Jr.
If I were Tashi: Jonathan Anderson wanted to play with the idea of branding with Tashi’s character. It was less about wearing a brand and more about the psychology of living in a branded world of fashion, beauty and homewares.
For me, Tashi had everyday luxury embedded in her DNA. No matter what she wore, it looked expensive—even the ‘I TOLD YA’ tee felt designer. It was always simple but impeccably styled. She became the brand.
Pictured: First look: Stòffa polo sweater or Jac+Jack pure cashmere sweater (literally the softed thing you will own) with UMIT BENAN B+ silk trousers. Second look: UMIT BENAN B+ shirt with baggy cuffed jeans (similar pair here).
If I were Patrick: For Anderson, Patrick’s wardrobe was inspired by the nonchalance of JFK Jr, who in the 80s and 90s could wear anything and make it feel effortless and carry sex appeal. He wanted this character not to care about how he looks but to still have all the quality staples.
I want to continue to play with Patrick’s nonchalance aesthetic and combine it with my own style. I thought about what I might pack quickly if I had to rush off to a tournament (lol), or what I might find on the sitting-chair-turned-clothes-pile in my bedroom.
Pictured: First look, A Brand jeans and Fila polo shirt (I’d add a dad cap here—the more faded the better). Second Look: Jac+Jack pants, Kartik Research button up shirt and Story MFG long sleeve tee.
If I were Art: Anderson made Art’s wardrobe a representation of his success. It became a symbol that he was in control purely by the power of the brand he might be wearing. His looks were clean and smart—predictable even. He always wanted to show he was a part of something: a brand, club or university. At the same time, there was something very 90s CK about him, with layered basics and blue denim.
In the movie, he wears a lot of Uniqlo, so I’m using their online store to create an outfit for this one.
Pictured: First look: a tennis set for Rodger Federer by JW Anderson. Second look: a dinner jacket, sweater or hoodie and wide-leg denim by JW Anderson for Uniqlo (this collection is out May 6).
If I were at Standford: A quick fun one, I fell in love with this hoodie while watching the movie because Zendaya was wearing it in a scene. I ran home to order one online. It arrived yesterday, and I love it.
Today, April 18, is Challengers release day in Australia (international release date is April 26). I’m taking my partner to see the film tonight—I can’t wait to see it again. Don’t miss out on seeing this movie at your favourite cinema. Maybe you should play on the voyeuristic aspect of Guadagnino’s film style and even see it on your own.
If you have a garment, accessory or styling technique you want me to explore, drop it in the comments! A Cowboy Hat? No worries. Double Shirting? Consider it done. Whatever you do, subscribe now so you can have ONE-PIECE come directly to your inbox every week.