CRAFT FAIR: Loewe is kicking off its 180th birthday with a capsule collection, a frisky campaign, a special anniversary magazine and an animated film narrated by Spanish actor Antonio Banderas.
The Madrid-based leather workshop, Loewe is billed as the second oldest luxury fashion house, with Banderas noting that it existed before the light bulb, the telephone and the moon landing.
Key moments in the brand came in 1872, when a German merchant named Enrique Loewe Roessberg unified the artisans under his name; 1905, when Loewe became an official supplier to the Spanish crown, and 1988, when the Loewe Foundation was established.
The campaign, shot by Talia Chetrit, puts the spotlight on iconic Loewe handbags, including the Flamenco clutch, the Puzzle and the new Amazona 180. The boxy Amazona was first introduced in 1975 and was reimagined by Loewe’s new creative directors Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez for their debut spring 2026 collection.
Kara Walker in Loewe.
Courtesy of Loewe
It also features items from an anniversary capsule collection bearing lion motifs — loewe is the German word for lion — done up in beads, intarsia, leather charms or bag interiors.
Chetrit trained her lens on brand ambassadors Julia Garner, Giselle, Salma Abu Deif and Kara Wai alongside “Carrie” and “Coal Miner’s Daughter” actress Sissy Spacek and artist Kara Walker, known for her large-scale works in cut paper.
The new campaign and capsule collection are to unfurl this week with “180 Years of Craft,” special publication that will be released as part of issue 11 of Loewe Magazine, dropping on June 15. Among fun facts in its colorful pages are that Loewe introduced ready-to-wear in 1965, created a special-edition Ford Fiesta in 1977 and welcomed Andy Warhol and Keith Haring to its New York store opening in 1982.
Also, Spacek collects birds’ nests, who knew?
An Amazona 180 bag.
Courtesy of Loewe