Claws, Horns, and a Fauna Fantasia: See Loewe’s New William De Morgan Capsule Collection
“I have never wanted to build a luxury brand, but a cultural brand,” says Loewe’s Jonathan Anderson.
Jonathan Anderson is gearing up to launch a new, season-specific capsule collection at Loewe.
Arriving with plenty of time in advance of the holiday gift-buying window, the lineup—which is excellent, and has quite a bit of range, from miniature accessories to full winter coats—is inspired by the late British ceramicist William De Morgan.
De Morgan died over 100 years ago, yet his wondrous, odd, invigoratingly surreal tile designs feel, in many respects, ahead of their era. He created bizarre fauna motifs, combining hallucinatory waterfowl with polychrome avian figures with playful, frolicking rabbits, among other nature-based fantasias. He was a key figure in Arts & Crafts, and his imagination has proved itself… well, durable, judging by what Anderson has done with it here.
Loewe William De Morgan Capsule Collection. Photo courtesy of Loewe.
“I have never wanted to build a luxury brand, but a cultural brand,” says Anderson of Loewe, which has, in his tenure at the helm, become well-known and equally as highly regarded for its cross-disciplinary creative activations (such as its annual gallery shows at Art Basel Miami, at Loewe’s Design District store). “We have been collaborating with artists from different fields, as it’s the best way to enrich the brand.”
Loewe William De Morgan Capsule Collection. Photo courtesy of Loewe.
Anderson also has a knack for bringing light to designers and figures that often go under-recognized in the public eye. “I’ve always wanted to promote overlooked figures, and I think William De Morgan is a very good example of that.”
Loewe William De Morgan Capsule Collection. Photo courtesy of Loewe.
The result is a hyper-engaging collection, which includes oddities—very Anderson and very De Morgan in tandem—like clawed gloves, horned hats, knitted otter bags, a leather key-chain of a dragon, a leather jacket with a red Dodo (perhaps the most famous extinct animal) painted across its back, Loewe’s popular Puzzle bag with peacock patterning, and symbology of bones and blooms galore.
Loewe William De Morgan Capsule Collection. Photo courtesy of Loewe.
“I’m totally obsessed by Crafts. I think a lot of innovation comes from this world in particular. Fashion can’t exist on its own, anymore.”
The Loewe De Morgan capsule collection will be available from November 15
Loewe William De Morgan Capsule Collection. Photo courtesy of Loewe.
