LOEWE Celebrates The Best of Spanish Craftsmanship

 LOEWE celebrates the best of Spanish craftsmanship where the luxury brand pays homage to Spain’s greatest craftsmen. The name sums up perfectly the foundation on which this house has built its 166-years history: craftsmanship. The adjective Best represents the constant pursuit of excellence. Hands underlines the importance Loewe has always attached to human work. Spain reaffirms the origin and the spirit of its creations. This is not an exercise in nostalgia, though: the project has been carried out with a thoroughly 21st-century sensibility. Best Hands of Spain is a dialogue between the present and the future. 

The mantón de Manila of the Sevillian house Carrera Iglesias forms another part of this project. Every stage of production, from the cutting to the embroidery to the braiding of the fringes, is executed by hand. In order to achieve the rich nuances of the design, two embroiderers work on each piece for four months. 

 Carrera Iglesias has devoted several decades to the development and manufacture of this exquisite garment which, despite its Asian origins, has become a symbol of Spain. This is not the first time that Carrera Iglesias has collaborated with Loewe. Their relationship dates back to the 1990s, when the two companies began working together integrating Spanish ornaments into their collections.

 Working with Castañer, the firm that made rope soles fashionable again, Loewe has designed an espadrille. The shoe brand was founded in 1774 with the first espadrille-maker of the family. The Castañer that we know today was born in 1927 and has since learned to embrace the latest trends without losing its artisanal spirit. Its craftsmen continue to work by the shores of the Banyoles Lake in Girona, Catalonia. Available in eight different shades for women and four for men, with the upper in a choice of napa, ostrich or Loewe’s signature ‘Oro’ suede.

Another product line is Loewe’s handcrafted Animals, manufactured in the brand’s plant in Getafe, Madrid. These small leather goods are entirely the result of the experience of Loewe’s craftsmen. It was they who, while playing with strips of calf leather left over from bags, folding and gluing them, came up with the little animals that inspired this range of colourful, friendly figures.

 Carbonell, the Spanish fan manufacturer founded in 1860, has created a fan called ‘Spanish Baroque’. Its distinctive motif, painstakingly engraved on each of its ebony sticks, is consistent with the Baroque aesthetic that Loewe has developed over recent seasons. This Valencian company has been manufacturing delicate fans for four generations. The one for Loewe is protected with a cover made of napa, Loewe’s most celebrated material.

Best Hands of Spain is a project that extends across various media. The renowned British photographer Matthew Donaldson has directed a video starring the artisans themselves working with their greatest tool: their hands. The soundtrack is composed by the sounds made by the craftsmen, their machines and tools which create a distinctive Spanish melody. The images of the different craftsmanship processes for each one of the products, as well as the video, will be showcased in a limited edition book available on the boutique on line. 

Another initiative is the creation of sculptures made from typically Spanish objects by Ana Domínguez and Omar Sosa. This represents the first collaboration between Loewe and the team behind the cult magazine Apartmento. The resulting material will be the subject of an exhibition that open at the Gran Vía store in Madrid and in Galería Loewe in Barcelona in February 2013. It will then travel to several Asian countries and display in windows of Loewe’s stores.