Loewe to stage Craft focused exposition in Shanghai

Loewe will stage its first major exhibition, Crafted World,  in Shanghai this spring, a unprecedented celebration of the Madrid-born house’s Spanish heritage and culture.

See catwalk

Crafted World will take place at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre. It’s a 45-day-long exposition that opens on March 22 and closes May 5, before eventually travelling worldwide.
 
“A celebration of the house’s rich history, Spanish heritage, and commitment to the handmade, Crafted World offers visitors a chance to immerse themselves in Loewe’s world,” the LVMH-owned house explained in a release.

Crafted World will be curated by Loewe’s multi-tasking creative director Jonathan Anderson.
 
“Steeped in art and culture, the landmark exhibition takes the audience on a journey through the iconic designs and cultural collaborations that have illuminated the brand’s evolution from its founding as a leather-making collective in Madrid in 1846 to becoming one of the world’s leading luxury fashion houses,” the Spanish-based marque added.
 
Spanning 178 years of creativity and innovation, from Loewe’s appointment as an official supplier to the Spanish Royal Crown and acquisition by LVMH. And including the establishment of the Loewe Foundation in the 20th century; the opening of the first Loewe store in China in 2001, the house’s rejuvenation by Anderson and the founding of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize this past decade.
 
The exhibition will also mark the latest step by Northern Irish born Anderson’s long-term strategy of making Loewe as much a cultural institution and movement, as a luxury fashion label.
 
Crafted World promises to be an interactive journey through time, space, material and techniques of making, held in 1,600 square meters of space and featuring artifacts and artworks.
 
Under Anderson’s leadership, Loewe catwalk shows are often performance art happenings with installations by fine artists. Notably, its most recent menswear show in January, which featured a mock cathedral gallery with gothic like “windows” on which were exposed images of fashion icons, brand ambassadors, soft porn and the artwork of master graphic artist Richard Hawkins.
 
Crafted World is designed to transport its audience into the sights and sounds of Spain, the front row of the Paris runway, and “the visionary imaginations” that have inspired Loewe’s recent collections.
 
A story dedicated to the joy of making things by hand, and a community of craftspeople and collaborators from around the world: Indian ribbon-makers; Ecuadorian tapestry artists; South African basket-makers and Chinese bamboo weavers.
 
The exhibition will be open to the public, and entrance is free.