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Loewe (fashion brand)

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Loewe S.A. (/loʊˈɛveɪ/ loh-EV-ay, Spanish: [loˈeβe], German: [ˈløːvə] ⓘ; stylized as LOEWE) is a Spanish luxury fashion house specialising in leather goods, clothing, shoes, and other fashion accessories. Founded in 1846 in Madrid, it is the second oldest luxury fashion house worldwide.[3] Loewe's ateliers and headquarters are in Madrid, Spain, with teams and operations in Paris, France. Loewe has been part of the conglomerate LVMH since 1996. Pascale Lepoivre has been CEO of Loewe since 2016,[4] and Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez creative directors since 2025.[5]

Loewe S.A.
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryFashion
Founded1846; 180 years ago (1846)
FounderEnrique Loewe y Roessberg
HeadquartersCalle de Goya 4
28001 Madrid
Spain,
Key people
ProductsReady-to-wear, haute couture, cosmetics, shoes, fashion accessories, jewelry, perfumes, watches
RevenueIncrease €626 million (2022)[1]
Increase €128 million (2022)[2]
Number of employees
1,300 Edit this on Wikidata
ParentLVMH
Websiteloewe.com

History

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Spanish roots

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A Loewe boutique in Madrid, 1905

Loewe was founded in 1846 in Madrid by a group of Spanish artisans specialized in leather goods. In 1872, Enrique Loewe y Roessberg, a German merchant of Hessian origin, consolidated the group under his name. In 1892, Loewe opened its first store on Madrid exclusive Calle Príncipe. In 1905, Alfonso XIII granted Enrique Loewe y Hinton, the son of Enrique Loewe y Roessberg, the title of Purveyor to the Royal Court.[6][7]

In the 1910s, Loewe opened two stores in Barcelona on Calle Fontanella and Calle Fernando.[6] The company quickly grew in popularity and was promoted by figures such as Princess Grace of Monaco, Ernest Hemingway, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Marlene Dietrich and Sophia Loren.[8] In 1935, Enrique Loewe Knappe, third generation of the Loewe family, became the new head of the company. Designer José Pérez Rozas was hired to design handbags.[6]

During the 1960s, for the first time, Loewe introduced a large palette of colors for its leathers. A women's ready-to-wear collection was launched in 1963, and its first store outside of Spain, on Old Bond Street in London, opened in 1963. The fourth generation of the Loewe family took over the direction of the company in 1965. By the 1970s, Loewe was expanding into perfumes and fashion with the creation of the Loewe anagram logo, designed by Spanish painter Vicente Vela.[6]

International development

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Loewe opened a boutique in Hong Kong in 1976,[6] and its first store in the US, in New York, in 1983.[9][10] In 1984, Louis Urvois and Gian Luca Spinola acquired the majority of shares in Loewe.[11] Gustavo Torner was appointed to redesign the brand's boutiques.[6] Through the 1980s, Giorgio Armani and Laura Biagiotti designed womenswear collections.[12] A collection for men was launched in 1983.[6] In 1986, luxury group LVMH bought the rights to Loewe's international distribution.[12]

In February 1996, LVMH became sole owner of Loewe.[13] In 1997, Narciso Rodriguez joined the company as new creative director.[14] The brand had its first Paris runway presentation at LVMH headquarters in the fall/winter 1998 season.[15] José Enrique Oña Selfa took over the creative direction of Loewe in 2000, introducing new sensual looks.[12] He was followed by Stuart Vevers in 2008[16] who maintained his predecessor's style[17] and further developed the handbags and accessories lines before stepping down in 2013.[18]

In 2013, Jonathan Anderson was appointed creative director.[19][20] The following year, Loewe's headquarters (including the design team) moved from Madrid to Paris, though the company remained headquartered in Madrid.[21][22] Anderson's first ready-to-wear collections were presented in 2014.[23] His leather bags were described by Vogue as "luxurious, functional and distinctive".[24] In 2015, Anderson introduced the Puzzle bag. In 2016, Loewe created the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize,[20] and Pascale Lepoivre was appointed CEO.[4] Loewe designed custom performance looks for American singer Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour.[25] In 2024, Loewe launched its first public exhibition, Crafted World, at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre,[26] and sponsored the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s spring 2024 Costume Institute exhibition Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.[27] Anderson stepped down from his role at Loewe in March 2025.[20]

In 2025, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez were appointed creative directors of Loewe.[5][28] The duo's creative approach was focused on crafted looks blending Spanish and American styles,[29] “infusing their signature New York attitude into the house codes”.[30] Their first womenswear collection introduced items such as leather minidresses and color-striped maxi-dresses.[31] Their first menswear collection was described by GQ as "a bizarro vision that is funky and tactile", introducing new items such as inflating leather parka, and cotton jeans slathered in traffic cones.[32] In 2026, Loewe announced a four-year partnership to provide travelwear and accessories to the Spain national football team.[33]

Locations

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Loewe stores are located worldwide. In 2014, Loewe's then-143 stores were concentrated mainly in Spain and Japan, which respectively had 37 and 27 locations.[34] Today, the company has at least seven stores in the US: Miami's Design District (since 2016),[35][36] the Wynn in Las Vegas (since 2018), New York (since 2019),[37] Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles (since 2022),[38] Bal Harbor in Florida, Boston, and River Oaks District in Houston.[39]

In 2016, Loewe opened Casa Loewe Madrid, the brand's first flagship in Madrid and – with 10,750 square feet (999 square metres) – its largest store in the world. It is located in the ground floor of the company's head office in a landmark 19th-century building.[40] In 2019, Loewe outgrew its London store in Mount Street and opened Casa Loewe at 41-42 New Bond Street.[41]

With 41 stores in Mainland China,[42] high profile expansions include Loewe Perfumes in Deji Plaza, Nanjing in 2022[25] and Loewe Gaozhai, a Casa Loewe concept, in Taikoo Li, Chengdu in 2024.[43]

Campaigns

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Loewe's global brand ambassadors have included Penélope Cruz (2013–2015),[44] Josh O'Connor (since 2017),[45] Leo Wu (since 2022),[46] Tang Wei (since 2022), South Korean girl group Nmixx (since 2022),[47] Taylor Russell (since 2022),[48] Taeyong (since 2023),[49] Yang Mi (since 2023),[50][51] Jamie Dornan (since 2024),[52][53] Giselle (since 2024),[54] Lim Ji-Yeon (since 2024)[55] and Wang Yibo (since 2024).[56] Other celebrities who have featured in the brand's advertisement campaigns include Gisele Bündchen (2017),[57] Tracee Ellis Ross (2021),[58] Gillian Anderson (2021),[58] Greta Lee (2023),[59] Maggie Smith (2023),[60] and Kit Connor (2024).[61]

During Stuart Vevers's tenure, most Loewe advertising campaigns were shot by Mert Alaş and Marcus Piggott.[44] For his first Loewe ad campaigns, Jonathan Anderson worked with Steven Meisel;[62] he subsequently worked with Tyler Mitchell (2020) and Juergen Teller (since 2021).[58]

Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez have worked with New York-based artist and photographer Talia Chetrit.[63]

Governance

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Presidents/CEOs

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  • Since 2016: Pascale Lepoivre[4]

Creative directors

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Foundation

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The Loewe Foundation was created in 1988 to promote creativity, support education, and safeguard heritage craft, art, photography, poetry and dance. It launched the Loewe Foundation International Poetry Prize the same year.[68]

In 2017, the foundation inaugurated the first edition of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, a competition established to support exceptional handmade craft.[69] In 2021, the Loewe Foundation/Studio Voltaire Award was launched in collaboration with UK-based Studio Voltaire to award art focused on diversity, creative thinking and individuality.[70] In 2023, the Loewe Foundation launched the "Writing the Prado" program with the Museo del Prado, a program inviting writers to find inspiration in the museum's collections.[71]

References

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  1. ↑ Maguire, Lucy (1 March 2024). "'We're not afraid to do things that are left field': Loewe's CMO on its killer TikTok strategy". Vogue Business.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. ↑ "Loewe SA almost doubles its profits in 2022". Fashion Network. Europa Press. 21 November 2023.
  3. ↑ Phelps, Nicole (3 October 2025). "Loewe Spring 2026 Ready-to-Wear Collection". Vogue. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 Socha, Miles (20 September 2016). "Exclusive: Loewe Taps New CEO from Céline". WWD. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 Dominique Vidalon (24 March 2025), LVMH brand Loewe names two creative directors to replace Anderson Reuters.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "El "cangrejo"con más historia se llama Loewe". www.elmundo.es (in Spanish). 2002. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "The Art of Craft: A History of Loewe". Heroine. 15 March 2019. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  8. ↑ "Loewe Handbags: Fiercely Spanish It-Bags". The Italist. 24 June 2016. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  9. ↑ Anne-Marie Schiro (7 February 1983), A New Wave of Boutiques Rolls in From Europe Archived 24 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine New York Times.
  10. ↑ Bernadine Morris (21 September 1983), Loewe Leather Arrives Archived 5 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine New York Times.
  11. ↑ Jesus Cacho (1 August 1984), El Gobierno adjudica Loewe, de Rumasa, al grupo Urvois Spinola, en contra de la recomendación de la comisión asesora El País.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Jamie Huckbody (17 October 2002), The king of leather Archived 26 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine The Independent.
  13. ↑ Constance C.R. White (17 June 1997), Rodriguez Joins Loewe Archived 8 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine New York Times.
  14. 1 2 Suzy Menkes (17 June 1997), In Fashion Chess, More New Moves Archived 26 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine International Herald Tribune.
  15. ↑ Miles Socha (26 September 2014), Narciso Rodriguez: Brining N.Y. Smarts to LVMH’s Loewe Archived 15 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine Women's Wear Daily.
  16. 1 2 fr (30 July 2007). "Loewe change de directeur artistique". Madame Figaro.
  17. ↑ Long, Carola (28 March 2009). "New king of Spain: Golden boy of accessories Stuart Vevers settles in". The Independent. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  18. ↑ Eric Wilson (24 June 2013), Vevers Lands Top Spot at Coach Archived 23 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine New York Times.
  19. ↑ "J.W. Anderson Biography". Vogue. 21 August 2013. Archived from the original on 21 August 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Guilbault, Laure (17 March 2025). "Jonathan Anderson exits Loewe". Vogue Business. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  21. ↑ Matthew Schneier (25 June 2014), A Provocateur Prepares to Show His Quiet Side Archived 26 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine New York Times.
  22. ↑ Miles Johnson (29 November 2012), Domestic production: Profitability begins at home as companies tap rich skill base Archived 27 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine Financial Times.
  23. ↑ "La cuarta campaña de Loewe o cómo la firma ha revolucionado la publicidad en la moda". Vogue España. 30 September 2015. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  24. ↑ "Jonathan Anderson: "Fashion is a competition"". Vogue. 28 September 2018. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  25. 1 2 Ryder, Bethanie; Nan, Lisa. "How Loewe gets China right | Jing Daily". jingdaily.com. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  26. ↑ Bertoli, Rosa (22 March 2024). "'Loewe Crafted World' exhibition opens in Shanghai, highlighting all that's wonderful about craft". Wallpaper*. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  27. ↑ Kim, Irene (28 June 2024). "A Custom Loewe Look Is Joining the Two Archival Pieces That Inspired It in the Costume Institute's "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" Exhibition". Vogue. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  28. ↑ Miles Socha (24 March 2025), EXCLUSIVE: Loewe Confirms Proenza Schouler Duo as New Creative Directors Women's Wear Daily.
  29. ↑ Collins, Lauren (16 February 2026). "At Loewe, Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez Write Their Next Chapter". W Magazine. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  30. ↑ Socha, Miles; Weil, Jennifer; Wynne, Alex (3 October 2025). "Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez's Womenswear Debut at Loewe: Industry Experts Weigh In". WWD. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  31. ↑ Hoste, Elliott; Van Dyke, Isobel (6 October 2025). "Loewe SS26: What went down at Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez's debut". Dazed MENA. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  32. ↑ Hine, Samuel (9 March 2026). "Meet the 'Loewe boys' who wowed Paris with their first menswear collection". British GQ. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  33. ↑ "LOEWE to design the travelwear for the Spanish national team". nss sports. 26 May 2026. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  34. ↑ Miles Socha (26 September 2014), Jonathan Anderson Preps Loewe for Next Chapter Archived 15 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine Women's Wear Daily.
  35. ↑ Miles Socha (26 September 2014), Jonathan Anderson Preps Loewe for Next Chapter Archived 15 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine Women's Wear Daily.
  36. ↑ Tilly Macalister-Smith (3 December 2015), Loewe opens new store-cum-gallery in Miami’s Design District Archived 15 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine Wallpaper.
  37. ↑ Katherine Bernard (19 December 2019), Loewe Opens a Store Archived 15 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine New York Times.
  38. ↑ Booth Moore (16 November 2022), EXCLUSIVE: Loewe’s First L.A. Store Is Filled With Sun, Ceramics and a Bust of Justin Bieber Archived 15 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine Women's Wear Daily.
  39. ↑ Lisa Lockwood (16 July 2024), Loewe’s New Stores in Texas, Florida Feature a Personal, Elevated Touch Archived 26 July 2024 at the Wayback Machine Women's Wear Daily.
  40. ↑ Miles Socha (17 November 2016), ‘Think Loewe,’ Jonathan Anderson Tells Spain Archived 5 February 2023 at the Wayback Machine Women's Wear Daily.
  41. ↑ "Jonathan Anderson's Casa Loewe Feels Like The Home Of A Fabulous Collector". British Vogue. 25 April 2019. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  42. ↑ Hu, Denni (28 June 2024). "Loewe Unveils Destination Shop at Taikoo Li Chengdu". WWD. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  43. ↑ Wu, Wenzhuo. "How Loewe crafts its China strategy with Chengdu store opening | Jing Daily". jingdaily.com. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  44. 1 2 Rebecca Cope (12 November 2012), Penélope Cruz is the new face of Loewe Harper's Bazaar.
  45. ↑ Cal Morris (13 December 2017), God’s Own Country star Josh O’Connor is the new face of Loewe menswear Archived 15 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine Hero.
  46. ↑ "Loewe Taps Leo Wu — a 'Master' Craftsman of Acting — as Ambassador". www.yahoo.com. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  47. ↑ Pawa, Anjana (30 September 2022). "K-Pop Girl Group NMIXX Are Loewe's New Ambassadors". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  48. ↑ Miles Socha (2 November 2022), Loewe Names Taylor Russell a Global Ambassador Archived 15 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine Women's Wear Daily.
  49. ↑ Socha, Miles. "EXCLUSIVE: Loewe Adds K-Pop Sensation Taeyong as Global Ambassador". WWD. WWD. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  50. ↑ "Loewe appoints Yang Mi as global brand ambassador". Fashion Network. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  51. ↑ "Yang Mi Is Loewe's Newest Global Ambassador". WWD. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  52. ↑ "Actor Jamie Dornan is Loewe's New Global Brand Ambassador". L'Officiel USA. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  53. ↑ "Loewe names Jamie Dornan as its new brand ambassador". Fashion Network. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  54. ↑ "aespa's Giselle Announced As New Brand Ambassador For LOEWE". Soompi. Retrieved 26 September 2024..
  55. ↑ "Lim Ji-Yeon Joins LOEWE as New Brand Ambassador". Dscene. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  56. ↑ Zhang, Tianwei (21 June 2024). "EXCLUSIVE: Wang Yibo Named Loewe Global Brand Ambassador". WWD. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  57. ↑ Robert Williams (1 March 2017), Loewe Taps Gisele Bündchen for Fall Campaign Women's Wear Daily.
  58. 1 2 3 Miles Socha (28 September 2021), Gillian Anderson Wears an Eye Mask in Loewe Campaign Women's Wear Daily.
  59. ↑ Kristopher Fraser (18 September 2023), Greta Lee Features in Loewe’s ‘Botanical Rainbow’ Perfume Campaign Women's Wear Daily.
  60. ↑ Ellie Violet Bramley and Lauren Cochrane (27 October 2023), Loewe and behold: how older models are casting a spell on fashion The Guardian.
  61. ↑ "New brand ambassadors for Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Loewe, Kith, Guess Jeans". Fashionista. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  62. ↑ Nancy Hass (19 August 2019), The Man Turning European Fashion Into Something Raw and Real Archived 13 February 2023 at the Wayback Machine T: The New York Times Style Magazine.
  63. ↑ Joyce, Ella (5 June 2026). "Loewe exhibit Talia Chetrit's photography of intimacy and selfhood". Hero. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  64. ↑ Mead, Rebecca (17 March 2025). "What Will Jonathan Anderson Transform Next?". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  65. 1 2 3 "What Was Loewe Like Pre-Jonathan Anderson? A Look Back at Its Creative Directors and Eras". L'Officiel USA. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  66. ↑ Horyn, Cathy (2 June 2025). "The Ambition of Jonathan Anderson". The Cut. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  67. ↑ Socha, Miles (24 March 2025). "EXCLUSIVE: Loewe Confirms Proenza Schouler Duo as New Creative Directors". WWD. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  68. ↑ "La Fundación Loewe crea un premio de poesía". El País (in Spanish). 29 January 1988. ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  69. ↑ "Loewe Foundation arts and crafts prize reloaded". The Art Newspaper. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  70. ↑ Kok, Jenevieve. "Applications for the LOEWE FOUNDATION / Studio Voltaire Award are Now Open!". The Artling. Archived from the original on 23 March 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  71. ↑ "Loewe Foundation And The Prado Museum Launch Joint Project, 'Writing The Prado'". luxuriousmagazine.com. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
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