Loewe is one of the oldest luxury fashion houses, celebrating 177 years in 2023. In the last decade, we have observed it through the creative lens of Jonathan Anderson, but the Spanish house hasn’t always exactly been like this.
What started as a small company exclusively dedicated to producing leather goods, evolved towards offering a rich product assortment of women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, perfumes, and other creations, and became a prominent player in the luxury fashion industry. The house’s ability to blend traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design elements has helped it maintain its status as a respected and world-renowned fashion house.
Curious to learn about the history of Loewe? Let’s go back to 1846 and see how the brand evolved until the present day.
The History And Evolution Of Loewe
Loewe Brand History
1846: Loewe is founded
Loewe, as we call the brand today, was founded in Madrid, Spain, in 1846 by a group of Spanish leather craftsmen. Initially, the company specialized in luxury leather goods, particularly high-quality leather bags and accessories.
Indeed, much like other luxury houses, such as Hermès, Louis Vuitton (we talked about Louis Vuitton history here), Gucci (we talked about Gucci history here), and Bottega Veneta, Loewe started with leather goods and has maintained their production for over 100 years.
1872: Enrique Loewe Roessberg
Even though Loewe is a Spanish brand established in Madrid, it’s Enrique Loewe Roessberg, a German leather craftsman, who acquired it upon his arrival in Madrid in 1872. He named it after himself: “Loewe”, and consolidated the operations of the brand’s leather craftsmen under a unified banner.
1905: Royal Warrant
Originally, Loewe’s leather goods were crafted specifically for Spanish royalty, which was its primary customer. In 1905, the brand received the title of “Supplier to the Royal Court” from King Alfonso XIII of Spain, which helped establish its reputation for quality and craftsmanship. His wife, Queen Victoria Eugenie, frequently visited the store on Príncipe de Madrid street. In addition, celebrities like Ernest Hemingway, Sophia Loren, Rita Hayworth and Marlene Dietrich were among Loewe’s frequent customers.
1965: First ready-to-wear collection
Loewe’s first ready-to-wear collection was launched in 1965 and presented in conjunction with the brand’s first-ever fashion show in the same year in Madrid. These two events marked a pivotal moment in the brand’s history. Primarily known for its high-quality leather goods and accessories, Loewe’s expansion to ready-to-wear allowed it to establish itself as a high-fashion house, diversify its product offerings, and appeal to a broader audience.
1970: Loewe logo
Loewe introduced its iconic logo in 1970, featuring four interconnected “L” letters, designed by artist Vicente Vela.
1972: First fragrance
In 1972, Loewe launched its first women’s fragrance: L de Loewe.
Because of its success, the Spanish house kept creating other perfumes like Aire in 1985, Esencia in 1988, Aura in 1994, and Solo in 2004, among many others.
1975: The launch of the Amazona bag
The Loewe house released many different bags throughout the years, but the Amazona bag is the first and one of the most iconic bags created by Loewe. Its enduring popularity has solidified its status as a timeless and iconic piece in the world of luxury fashion and accessories. Nowadays, it is offered in various sizes, colors, and materials, making it a versatile and classic accessory that appeals to a wide range of fashion enthusiasts.
1988: Loewe Foundation
In 1988, Enrique Loewe Lynch, the fourth-generation member of the Loewe family, established The Loewe Foundation with the mission to promote creativity, and educational programs and to safeguard heritage in the fields of poetry, dance, photography, art and craft. His daughter Sheila Loewe is the current Foundation’s president.
Enrique Lynch began to work in the family company around the end of the 1960s when Loewe already enjoyed great international prestige and took care of the business side of the company. He played an important role in the national and international expansion of the company during the 1970s, particularly in the Asian market, where the company has an excellent reputation.
1996: LVMH acquires Loewe
Loewe is LVMH‘s oldest luxury fashion house. The acquisition made by the conglomerate (that also owns Fendi, Christian Dior, Givenchy…) in 1996 marked a significant turning point in Loewe’s history, leading to further international expansion and increased visibility.
These major moments of Loewe’s timeline were just the beginning for the brand. Its creative directors each contributed to the growth of the brand differently and brought many inventions to the Spanish house.
Creative directors of Loewe
As we saw, since the arrival of Enrique Roessberg Loewe, the company has been a family-run business. If we look at the relatively recent brand’s history, the four important creative directors of the house were Narciso Rodriguez, José Enrique Oña Selfa, Stuart Vevers, and Jonathan Anderson who is the current creative director of Loewe.
Narciso Rodriguez (1996-2001)
Narciso Rodriguez was the first creative director appointed after LVMH Group’s acquisition of Loewe. He played a pivotal role in modernizing the brand and introduced a more contemporary and minimalistic aesthetic – so characteristic of the 1990s – to the brand’s collections while maintaining its reputation for craftsmanship and luxury. He also contributed to Loewe’s international expansion by opening new stores and increasing the brand’s visibility on the global stage.
José Enrique Oña Selfa (2001-2007)
The Spanish designer continued to build on Loewe’s legacy of leather craftsmanship while introducing contemporary elements to the brand’s collections.
Stuart Vevers (2007-2013)
The British designer put an emphasis on Loewe’s iconic leather goods and accessories and also brought a sharper focus on the ready-to-wear. This allowed the brand to gain recognition in the luxury fashion world.
One of his famous collections, “Tales of Spain”, referenced prints from Loewe’s archives from the 1970s and 1980s, and targeted a younger audience.
Jonathan Anderson (2013 – present)
Jonathan Anderson’s arrival in the Loewe family changed its destiny forever. Thanks to his years of experience running his eponymous label JWAnderson, Loewe has been experiencing a renaissance in terms of creativity, innovation, and modernity.
When Anderson arrived at Loewe, the brand’s client base was still generally conservative. However, he somehow managed to make it more contemporary-relevant. He blended fashion with art and metaverse and appealing to younger audiences. Famous hip-hop and R&B artists who weren’t exactly the clientele of the old Loewe began wearing the new Loewe’s clothes for the first time. Rihanna, for example, wore a custom Loewe outfit for her performance during the latest Super Bowl. It’s no surprise that Loewe was named the hottest brand of the year in the second quarter of 2023!
Loewe’s First Men’s Ready-to-Wear Collection
In 2014, Anderson launched Loewe’s first men’s ready-to-wear collection for the SS 2015 season. Thus, expanding the brand’s product assortment even more. It featured a range of clothing and accessories designed for men. It included garments like suits, outerwear, knitwear, and various leather goods such as bags and accessories. A few years after his appointment, in 2015, Jonathan Anderson became the first to be awarded both Womenswear and Menswear Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.
In 2014, he changed Loewe’s visual identity by introducing a new logo.
Under the creative direction of Jonathan Anderson, Loewe’s fashion shows have become highly anticipated events in the fashion calendar. He enjoys demonstrating his innovative and artistic approach to fashion, as we saw with the example of the Spring-Summer 2023 womenswear collection that showcased unprecedented three-dimensional, pixelated garments inspired by the IRL Minecraft world and the metaverse, and balloon shoes that gave the runway another “wow” effect. P.S We cannot wait to see Loewe’s Spring 2024 show scheduled for Friday, September 29, 2023 at 11:30 CET.
Another highlight from Anderson’s years at Loewe include his Loewe’s Craft Prize. Launched by the designer in 2016, it recognizes “excellence, artistic merit and innovation in modern craftsmanship,” according to Loewe. This year, the Craft Prize launched its seventh edition, and the winner will receive 50,000 euros.
What Is Loewe Known For
To conclude, we want to leave you with some of the most iconic products and projects released by Loewe, mainly under Jonathan Anderson’s creative direction.
Loewe Bags
Although Loewe has expanded to ready-to-wear, the house’s roots are still profoundly anchored in its leather goods craftsmanship. So, many iconic Loewe pieces are leather goods, especially bags.
The Amazona
The iconic Amazona bag, first released in 1975, was reintroduced by Anderson at the fall 2021 show that celebrated the 175th anniversary of Loewe. It comes in a variety of shapes and colorways.
The Flamenco
The Flamenco bag was first released in the 1970s and reprised by Stuart Vevers in 2010 and Jonathan Anderson in 2021.
The Puzzle
The Puzzle was the first completely new bag designed by Jonathan Anderson for Loewe. It’s first seen at the men’s spring 2015 show in Paris.
Other bags released over the years were The Basket (Spring 2017), The Gate (Spring 2018), and The Goya (Fall 2021). The recently-added The Paseo, introduced in Loewe’s spring/summer 2023 collection.
Loewe’s Artistic Collaborations
Under Jonathan Anderson’s creative direction, Loewe has embraced artistic collaborations, blurring the lines between fashion and art. His most famous collaborations were with Studio Ghibli -one of the most acclaimed animation studios in the world. The first one, My Neighbor Totoro, was introduced in 2021, followed by Spirited Away a year later. The third and final Loewe x Studio Ghibli collection, Howl’s Moving Castle, dropped in stores in February of 2023.
Additionally, Anderson has worked with other artists. He launched an exclusive SS 2015 summer accessories collection with John Allen. He created costumes for Anthea Hamilton’s immersive installation at London’s Tate Britain in 2018, among other projects.
This is it for Loewe’s history for now. We hope you learned new things about Loewe as it has a long and rich history. Who is your favorite creative director/collection/project of Loewe?
Follow me on Instagram for more updates!
