Loewe returns to its leatherwear roots for its latest collection but SYIDA LIZTA AMIRUL IHSAN isn’t sure that showing off too much hide is the way to go.
A leather ensemble that’s chic and cool, with a hat giving it a wizard’s touch.
IT has a history longer than Louis Vuitton (by nine years) and was established before Coco Chanel was even born, yet Loewe (pronounced Loway-vay) is still scaling the fashion mountain.
Known best for its Amazona tote — the classic shape and wide opening makes it both a stylish and practical carrier — the bag has been at the forefront of the house’s fashion facade.
It is so popular that a tiny version (no bigger than an adult’s palm) is available for daughters to match their mums.
The need to reinvent the 163-year-old Madrid-based brand, which is steeped in its leatherwear heritage, was so crucial that in 2007, the brand snagged Stuart Vevers as its creative director.
Vevers, of course, gave the world two coveted carriers while in Mulberry — the rock-chic Roxanne and the classic Bayswater.
Pierre-Yves Roussel, chief executive officer of the fashion division of LVMH — which owns Loewe — said that by taking Vevers on board, it “wants to emphasise Loewe’s strong point — leather goods — with someone who can make desirable handbags.”
Two years into his new job, Vevers unveiled his first runway show for ready-to-wear in Paris, and delivered on his bosses’ wishes.
The clothes come in leather and some of the bags were in wool.
There are leather tunics, skirts, T-shirts, dresses and jackets, each crafted immaculately in true Loewe fashion, but wearability, especially in the tropics, is questionable.
A regional show was held in Hong Kong recently, with celebrities like Fann Wong and Kelly Lin in attendance.
The first ensemble, a belted jacket with skirt and knee-high boots is super chic at 10ËšC and the asymmetrical hat makes it even cooler.
It’d be the perfect ensemble if Hermione Granger decides to teach in Hogwarts later. There’s a chic wizard tone to it, one that is both sombre and classy.
Elsewhere, the sentiment is mixed. A fur winter jacket comes with a hood that makes the wearer look like an eskimo — albeit a fashionable one — while a long, black, belted leather jacket is the epitome of cool; but wait, where could I wear that to?
The collection made for a fine show — perforated leather and feathers peeking from jackets excite the eyes, but the statement wasn’t bold enough that could champion artistry over wearability.
But most of all, it was the name of the brand splashed across the front of leather T-shirts and bags that was the low point of the show.
When many labels go discreet on the logo — Loewe is best known for its spider-like anagram — the move just makes for obvious branding.
The truth is, Loewe is, first and foremost, a leatherwear company and dressing models in materials often reserved for bags and shoes isn’t going to drive home the point of superior leather workmanship which has been this brand’s hallmark.
