LOEWE MEN’S FALL WINTER 2019

LOEWE MEN’S FALL WINTER 2019

A luminous cotton sculpture by the German artist Franz Erhard Walther occupies the LOEWE show space inside Maison de l’UNESCO, as the focal point of the first-ever men’s LOEWE runway show by Creative Director Jonathan Anderson. Entitled Gelbe Modellierung (1985), the sliced and segmented canvas ‘wall formation’ work stems from the artist’s performative practice, encouraging the viewer to interact with its wardrobing elements: in this case, two jackets and two trouser legs joined to its compartmentalised yellow surface.

In conversation with the Fall Winter 2019-20 Men’s collection, the work suggests hybrid abstraction at a human scale, where both a garment’s utility and its connotation are called into question. By re-thinking fabrication and scale, LOEWE craftmanship materialises in unexpected ways – uniting incongruous ideals of masculinity where the worlds of sartorial tradition and team sports collide. In shearling and camel cashmere, outerwear pieces elevate the everyday. Trompe l’oeil arrives in tufted shearling and stamped croc, culminating in plush pastel leather quilting or a greatcoat fashioned from fringed cashmere scarves. Above unzipped calfskin waders, distended jerseys and tunics recall trail blankets and rugby stripes. Long knits collect relics: beads like pebbles, and naïve life drawings, whilst bound thread work cardigans evoke raw process. Like Walther’s peeling forms, hyper-extended shirt sleeves peek from beneath the new LOEWE tuxedo – a nipped 2-button suit with asymmetric lapels.

The signature Puzzle bag appears in burnished hand-braided leather, and the giant Gate saddlebag is unveiled for men.