Loewe's Collaboration With Suna Fujita Illustrates the Power of Play

Photography AARON LIPPMAN
Styled by SACHIKO CLYDE

Loewe is no stranger to whimsy, with past holiday collections revolving around blooming florals and vibrant neons. Last year, Loewe was inspired by the animations from Japanese ceramist studio Suna Fujita's existing ceramics. With respect for the ubiquity of animals throughout childhood experiences, the brand created accessories with playful hand-painted characters such as penguins and pandas. This year, the label continued its revision of childlike nostalgia, showcasing boundless imagination and skill.

Loewe collaborated with Suna Fujita on a new series of ceramics to reimagine its classics with new characters, adding alluring intarsia, dimension, and unexpected details to the brand’s signatures. Elements of bags include classic shoulder straps and drawstring pulls, while artistry balances minimalism and outlandishness. Geometric silhouettes, precise lines, razor-sharp needlework, and singularly memorable designs define the collection. Spirited imagery enhances breathtaking hues – warm ones like pecan and cooler ones like peacock blue. The Spanish fashion house injects comfort both literally by crafting bags in lush fabrics like check wool and glossy leather and symbolically by incorporating imagery characteristic of a nursery rhyme. Pieces exude self-aware playfulness, as shapes and patterns evoke a sense of innocence yet retain focus with a radical infatuation with detail. 

A black puzzle-fold tote is adorned with colorful squid, swordfish, and other sea creatures; a playful white octopus hugs a puzzle bag in a blue-green hue that mimics the color of the ocean depths. The collection celebrates texture alongside quirk, with a fuzzy flamenco purse covered in polka dots of blue, pink, yellow, and green; meanwhile, a furry cream scarf is embroidered with a bunny and flowers, offering a dream of spring on a vital winter accessory. A green-plaid flamenco clutch also incorporates embroidered bunnies and flowers and serves as a twist on a classic holiday pattern. Octopus toy slippers renounce the austerity that consumes adulthood, while dynamic hamster motifs dust a mini pebble bucket bag and give it an undeniable charm. 

Keep scrolling to peek at the collection in which Loewe eschews mature sophistication and invites people into its own playhouse for adults, one marked by polished optimism and a youthful heart. 

MODEL: Jimai Hoth MUSE CASTING: Onell Ednacot HAIR: Ledora Francis MAKEUP: Andrew Colvin
SET DESIGN: Devin Rutz LIGHTING ASSISTANT: Theo Choi STYLING ASSISTANT: Amber Rana