In the JW Anderson studio, it took Billy Porter two seconds to reach the rail where he hung his clothes. The Tony - and Grammy-winning actor and style icon is in no hurry - despite having a packed show schedule and arriving in London just hours before we meet - but it's clear he's here for one thing and one thing only, fashion.

He immediately cuts through the railing to point out his favourite details - the placement of what designer JonathanAnderson calls the "jewels" on the jacket; Pink and yellow knit dresses; A silver brocade cloak. "That's 101 Dalmatians for the modern age!" Porter smiled and held up a white dress with abstract polka dots. Next, he pulled out an all-white look with two large embellishments on the chest. "These plants look like daisies, or they could be eggs." Anderson laughed and said, "Strange idea!" Potter was equally fascinated.

On another railing hangs the clothes Porter wore to the JW Anderson fashion show. With a quick glance, Porter picked out a bright yellow knitted full-length dress (from the AW19 collection) and two deconstructed tuxedo jackets (from the SS20 menswear show).

Sam Ratelle, Potter's stylist and creative director, had his own ideas. "We want to create art," he explains: "Every time we step on the carpet, it's a performance. My job is to elevate Billy to his best sense of self and give him the opportunity to express himself. This is fashion."

The star of FX's Pose (two critically acclaimed series currently airing on Netflix) rose to fame in the fashion world earlier this year when he wore a velvet ChristianSiriano gown to the Oscars. The dress was exquisite and looked even more dressy on Potter. "It really allowed us to create a space where weirdos felt comfortable and safe," Ruttle said. "Completely breaking down the boundaries of gender."

Potter and Anderson clearly hit it off in the studio: Anderson, relaxing after a month-long vacation, reveled in his newfound ally as they crossed gendered costumed boundaries together. Porter, meanwhile, is enjoying every moment of what he calls a "professional show" - his debut was in January and he had never attended London Fashion Week before.

You've all reset gender boundaries in your own way. What's your motivation?

Billy Porter: "For me, as an actor, fashion is always about 'Who do I want to be today? 'What do I want to say today? 'and allow yourself to explore in a way that you wouldn't normally do. We're very much constructed based on gender, so it's really interesting to get rid of those gender shackles and remove that desire or need to be male, [as opposed to] simply being male, in this world that emphasizes "better." Be yourself and how you feel at any given moment. That's how I feel about fashion. It was fun."

Jonathan Anderson: "I started out as a menswear designer, and the first clothes I created were actually based on the idea of a shared wardrobe. A shirt is a shirt, no matter who wears it, right? There is no barrier between men's and women's wear. This tuxedo jacket (from SS20 men's: sleeves cut, geometric wings perfectly tailored, back down, waist tightened) is a return to that style in many ways."

Do you think we will continue to label individuals and creatives and put them in certain "boxes"?

JA: "Of course! When we put them out there, we don't want to take them out of the box, which is very annoying."

BP: "It's human nature. It's easier for people on the outside to categorize things and label them. That's why the whole gender conversation is so hilarious, because what's the label going to be? But I think those dichotomies are breaking down. We started having different conversations."

Do you feel pressure to fit into a particular category or label?

BP: "For the first 25 years of my career, I felt pigeonholed. Not anymore. Now I'm too old to feel any pressure. I'll be 50 on September 21. Fucking pressure! I showed up. I do my job. I've been doing this my whole life. All I have to do is be myself. The shackles are off and I am free."

JA: "Sometimes it is. But I think people are questioning the industry too much these days and have a clear vision of who they want to be. Sometimes you have to surprise yourself; Enjoy. As long as I don't like it, I won't do it."

The pace of the entertainment and fashion industries is relentless, how do you keep up?

JA: "I stop at the end of the day. I don't go home and think about fashion. I've become very disciplined because I think you've become too obsessed. So I like to do that, put the fashion down and go home. Pick it up again tomorrow."

BP: "I think as you get older, you learn that the only way to keep your sanity is to live in the moment. There's too much 'what if?' What will happen? if What will happen? if What will happen? 'That's where the anxiety comes from. When the book comes out - like I read recently, you know - you really have to live in the moment."

Jonathan, what was the inspiration behind the JWAnderson SS20 collection?

JA: "It continues the style of last season, but with a sense of chaos, with a Parisian touch. It's also more liquid. Last season was about quantity, this season is about grooming. I think we're in a very strange moment where the Brexit story never ends, so how do you show a commitment to the idea of fashion? The concept of silhouette? Cut a piece out? I like to push it to the limit. I want to follow through, not be pressured to sell. Sometimes you have to play with the clothes."

"I fell in love with the Canadian artist Liz Magor. She collects all kinds of things, like toys, tulle or fabric, in boxes. So the idea of the ephemera - studying and obsessing over something - also inspired the collection."

Billy, you picked out a tuxedo for the JWAnderson SS20 fashion show. What do you think?

BP: "It's the vibe, you know? I feel like a secret superhero. I have a pair of small wings. I can fly."