LOEWE has its exhibition in Hong Kong recently entitled "The Masters of Leather", which is a special book that has been commissioned by Loewe to pay tribute to the superlative skill and knowledge of the house’s craftsmen. Loewe’s leather goods are individually tooled just as they were when its first shop opened in 1846, and today the experts working in Loewe’s factories in Madrid are exclusively equipped with 165 years of specialist knowledge passed down in person from generation to generation. This level of expertise can be found throughout the entire sequence of events that go in to creating a Loewe product: from the special breeds of sheep Loewe uses for its leather, to the selection of the skins (less than five per cent meet Loewe’s criteria), to the process of smoothing and perfecting them in the tannery.
In order to tell the story of Loewe’s craft in a fresh and innovative way, the renowned art director and illustrator Robert Clarke was invited to work on The Masters of Leather. He spent time in Madrid getting to know the city, visiting the Loewe stores there, touring the ateliers and meeting Loewe’s artisans as they worked, before heading up to Barcelona to see Loewe’s leather being treated in the tannery. He got to see how at every stage of their creation Loewe leather goods are moulded and shaped by the human hand. ‘The splendid and regal city of Madrid and the genuine warmth of the Loewe company made me feel so welcome,’ says Clarke, ‘and seeing the quality of the work at Loewe was such an eye-opener.’
To emphasise the defining role that expert handcrafting plays in ensuring the quality and character of Loewe’s leather goods, Clarke has drawn and written the entire book by hand, telling the story of his Loewe journey in words and pictures, and even including handprints of the Loewe craftsmen he met along the way. As a result, the Masters of Leather is just as much a labour of love assembled by the hand of an expert as the rest of Loewe’s products. ‘I love the feel and look of the book just as I love Loewe’s bags,’ says Clarke. ‘Their colour and style is so quintessentially Spanish that the book was inspired by Miro, Picasso and the colours of Spain, and there’s a hint of Tapies in there too for good measure.
The anticipation that has built around the release of The Masters of Leather is such that Loewe has decided to expand the scope of the project. The book itself is being treated to a wider distribution, available to buy in all Loewe standalone stores. This special book showcases the craftsmanship and leather expertise of Loewe in a modern light. Illustrations from the book will be featured in window displays created by Robert Clarke that will show in Loewe stores worldwide throughout September and October. All of these activities serve as a heartfelt homage to the passion and commitment of Loewe’s craftsmen. Craftsman Carlos who had worked with Loewe for more than 40 years were presence by showing his renown skills during the exhibition.
Carlos at Work Carlos signed on a card showing
his appreciation
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