Today, Loewe is opening Crafted World to the public at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre, a historic building erected in 1955 to commemorate the alliance between China and the Soviet Union, located conveniently in the heart of the city.
Photo: Courtesy Loewe and OMA
China seems like a natural destination to accommodate the first major exhibition of the Spanish brand. Not only did Loewe open its first boutique in the country in 2001, understanding the importance of the Asian markets from an early stage, but China is also a country that fully nurtures and values delicate century-old crafts such as silk, lacquer wear, and porcelain.
Photo: Courtesy Loewe and OMA
From the very beginning in 1846, when Loewe started out as a collective of Spanish artisans crafting small leather goods in an atelier in Madrid, the brand has been dedicated to craft and the joy of making things with one’s hands. This is also a passion shared by creative director Jonathan Anderson, who confessed his love for intricate textiles from an early age. “My grandfather was a textile designer and when I was a boy, he took me to the factory where he worked in Northern Ireland. I was fascinated by the act of making, the use of technique, and the way it boils down to the relationship with materials. Maybe that’s where my interest in fashion and textures first started,” he says. “When I joined Loewe, I wanted to build a brand that would break down the barriers between craft and art and fashion. I wanted to give more exposure to craft as a discipline, expanding our shared knowledge of what it is and what it can be.”
Jonathan Anderson. Photo: Vogue Runway
Loewe’s protection of the crafts is reflected in the creation of not only some of the most coveted It accessories — think of the Amazona, the Barcelona, and the Puzzle bags — but also unique collectable objects done in collaboration with some of the most interesting designers in the world, ranging from chairs presented at Salone de Mobile, to interesting art objects born from the annual Loewe Foundation Crafts Prize Award.
Photo: Courtesy Loewe and OMA
“When you visit Loewe, there’s nothing more exciting than to see people make something in front of you. You have to feel astonished when you witness the craftsman taking a sheet of black leather and transforming it into a three-dimensional object,” notes Anderson. “I think that the ultimate luxury is craft, and a human being able to make something. Craft is the essence of Loewe. As a house, we are about craft in the purest sense of the word. That is where our modernity lies, and it will always be relevant.”
Photo: Courtesy Loewe and OMA
The Crafted World exhibition is divided into six chapters. In the same room, you will find porcelain by Picasso, a cover of the VSH of Almodovar’s Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, a chair by architect Javier Carvajal, a book signed by iconic clients such as Ava Gardner, Sophia Loren, and Hemingway, and even looks worn on stage by Rihanna and Beyoncé, next to an XL pumpkin. All to tell the complex evolution of this brand so full of layers, and a cerebral approach to fashion.
Photo: Courtesy Loewe and OMA
Other interesting (and Instagrammable) moments include an area dedicated to Spain, with traditional porcelain exhibited side-by-side with quirky bags in the shape of fish or fruits, enveloped by digital screens offering footage of the Spanish sea. There is also a room dedicated to the production of Loewe’s iconic handbags, transporting viewers to the ateliers of the brand, where all the magic happens. But what is Anderson’s favorite item of this well put-together archival showcase? “There’s one object in Loewe’s history, this small box with a mouse on top of it,” he reveals. “For me, since I joined the brand, it has always been this central point that kind of symbolizes everything. It is an object, it is crafted, and it’s got humor, and I think Loewe has humor in it. Even though I have seen that piece through the 10 years of my career at Loewe, every time I see it, I’m always like, ‘Oh that’s Loewe!’ That is what it is to me. And it always surprises me, every time I see it, it looks more and more deteriorated as time goes on. But I don’t know… for me that’s a very personal thing. It represents the journey that I’ve had within [the brand], which is a very simple thing but when you open it, it becomes this complex thing.”
Photo: Courtesy Loewe and OMA
Perhaps one of the most impactful moments of Loewe Crafted World is the one dedicated to some key runway looks by Jonathan Anderson. “The fashion room I find quite strange actually,” he muses. “You have such a detachment to these collections, you move so fast. You kind of just put them out, you don’t think about it. And then, you see it all in a room, kind of like a snapshot of each collection. You feel a bit like, ‘Oh I’m older now’, and the thing that I find interesting is that you really do see the language. This is the first time I’ve actually noticed that there’s a language within the clothing. When you see it all in a room together, you start to see that there is a Loewe hand to fashion somehow.”
Photo: Courtesy Loewe and OMA
In this space designed like a white box, you will easily spot the car dress from winter 2022, a dress with ceramic detailing made in collaboration with Japanese artist Takuro Kuwata, the anthurium top in brass and steel from spring/summer 2023, and the tank dress in ribbed cotton jersey with metal plate from summer 2022. They give an overview of the impressive body of work of this designer, where fashion can become wearable art, and a brand should be a full, well-rounded universe that goes way beyond what lies inside your closet.
Loewe Crafted World can be visited in Shanghai until May 5.
