March 11, 2025 |
Loewe has a reputation for radical silhouettes but it can also shake it up when it comes to presenting collections. For AW25, with rumours swirling around the departure, after a decade, of creative director Jonathan Anderson, and the Proenza Schouler boys apparently waiting in the wings to take over, the LVMH-owned house forwent a traditional fashion show. It opted instead to showcase what is likely to be the final collection of Anderson for the house, with a remarkable walk-through presentation with pieces from the new collection displayed next to artworks, personally curated by Anderson. All day, celebrities and editors trickled through the 18th century hotel particular exhibition space, discovering the collection in a series of 17 interconnected salons.
Describing the collection as “a scrapbook of ideas,” Anderson (who was not present and is rumoured to be joining Dior), dipped into his back catalogue, abstracting ideas and playing with the codes he’s established at the brand this past decade. Trompe l’oeil, distorted scales and volumes, all filtered through art and artisanal craft have been his Loewe calling cards. The collection wasn’t a retrospective but felt like a glorious overview of his time at the house. The wired hems of last season reappeared on little mini dresses and supersized knits seemed to follow on from SS24.
Craft has always been central to Anderson’s Loewe. For AW25, a collaboration with the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation bore some of the collection’s most covetable and collectible pieces. A series of colourful, enveloping coats and bags referenced Anni’s distinctive woven textile designs (South of the Border, 1958; Pasture, 1958; Open Letter, 1958; Dotted, 1959). Meanwhile, squares or colour blocks from Josef Albers’s Homage to the Square series, were translated onto the Puzzle bag (introduced in Anderson’s first Loewe collection) and the new Madrid bag. The level of craft in Loewe collections is impressive.
In one room Leidy Churchman’s enormous painting, Arrow in the Eye, was laid flat on the floor and bookended by a cluster of pieces made from spliced then draped strips of leather, and a series of dresses made from multiple ropes of organza covered beads. Artworks from the Loewe art collection were displayed in tandem with the fashion. British artist Anthea Hamilton’s Giant Pumpkin No 2, 2022, which appeared in the Loewe AW22 women’s runway show and campaign greeted guests in the foyer. Vases by the South African ceramic artist Zizipho Poswa and the Japanese sculptor Yoshihiro Suda’s Morning Glory, 2023, also inhabited the space. It made for a memorable and enriching experience – art and fashion in conversation.
Conceptual, wearable and crafty has been the Loewe winning formula for the past ten years. Yes it would have been nice to see the clothes in motion on a catwalk, but this presentation offered a rare opportunity to stop for a moment and reflect on Anderson’s impressive legacy.
Photography courtesy of Loewe.
