Ever since taking the leash at LOEWE in 2013, Creative Director Jonathan Anderson and his team have skyrocketed the Spanish luxury house to another level – topping the charts on the Lyst Index and maintaining its position at the top three brands for the past few years. And for good reason. LOEWE and Anderson, who designed the costumes for Luca Guadagnino’s new film Queer, are pioneers in the industry and it’s all down to the brand’s eagle eye for detail, bringing innovation and experimentation without undervaluing tradition and slow practices.
Hands-on craftsmanship
Since it was established in 1846 (fun fact: it’s one of the oldest luxury brands in the world), LOEWE has always been dedicated to fine leather-making, putting good craftsmanship at the forefront of its legacy. “Craft is the essence of LOEWE,” says Anderson – it's one of the few luxury brands that to this day preserves its traditional, handcrafted practices.
The brand proudly showcases its crafting techniques with ASMR “how it’s made” videos and sharing details on its socials. Based in the Spanish house’s Madrid ateliers, LOEWE’s master artisans (some of whom have been with the brand for 50 plus years) focus on slow practices and goated technical and material skills, weaving tradition with new technology. For example, the Puzzle bag’s unique structure is constructed by laser-cut, individual pieces that form a jigsaw puzzle, which are hand-painted and assembled in Madrid.
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Experimental designs
LOEWE manages to stay on top of its craftsmanship game and still be able to deliver innovative designs. The brand has become synonymous with abstract creativity – whether it’s a lipstick or makeup brush heel, a tomato bag, a pigeon clutch, or a custom wooden corset. Anderson is a pioneer in surrealist, avant-garde fashion, but balances it with a sleek, sophisticated aesthetic packed with good tailoring and sturdy designs. It’s the perfect medium between surrealism and realism, if you ask us.
See the latest menswear collection (SS25) for example: the lines are clean and precise, but the collection’s exaggerated structures and surrealist touches of the feather accessories on the models’ faces infused some theatricality.
Innovative, interesting textures
Innovation in fashion comes hand-in-hand with interesting textures. And LOEWE has got that down. Whether it be a hay-style textured polo shirt from SS25 (seen on Manu Rios at the Respira premiere yesterday), hairy mohair sweaters, hoodies crafted with real moss on them, grass-embedded coats (currently decaying at the MET) in collaboration with textile designer Paula Ulargui Escalona, beautiful embroidery or a simple buttery leather piece, you can see the range of different textures that keep the brand’s vision fresh and exciting.
Solid styling
And the campaigns go hard. It’s not just the excellent photography and art direction, but the styling is ultra clean, pairing pieces that you wouldn’t think would go together, bringing surprising colour combinations and layering different textures. Benjamin Bruno, the stylist behind a lot of their campaigns (including the most recent campaigns with Greta Lee, Daniel Craig and Taylor Russell), brings an eccentric yet refined touch that really complements the overall aesthetic of the brand.
Featured image LOEWE ©
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