PARIS — Loewe‘s immersive “Crafted World” exhibition, which debuted in Shanghai in March 2024, is headed to Tokyo’s Harajuku district this spring.
Billed as the Spanish house’s first major brand exhibition, it showcases an array of artifacts and artworks alongside runway footage and behind-the-scenes insights about the artisans that bring its clothing and accessories to life.
Tracing the house’s 179 years of history, the exhibition spans different design disciplines, from architecture to accessories, sculpture and scent.
It also charts how Loewe has been transformed from a Madrid-based leather-making collective and supplier to the Spanish Royal Crown into a fast-growing luxury brand steeped in contemporary culture.
“The exhibition transports the audience from the sights and sounds of Spain, to the front row of the Paris runway, and, in a series of interactive rooms, inside the visionary imaginations that have inspired Loewe’s recent collections — including those of Studio Ghibli and the Kyoto-based ceramics studio Suna Fujita,” Loewe said in a release shared first with WWD.
A walnut bark design by Moe Watanabe from the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2023.
Courtesy of Loewe
New to the Tokyo leg are “works and architectural interventions highlighting the house’s collaborations and cultural projects across Japan and beyond,” according to Loewe.
These include a video documenting the Loewe Foundation’s support for the Ōnishi family, who have been crafting ceremonial tea kettles in Kyoto for more than 400 years, alongside works by several Loewe Craft Prize finalists.
Key moments in Loewe’s history spotlighted in the itinerant exhibition are its 1996 acquisition by French luxury giant LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Jonathan Anderson’s appointment at the creative helm in 2013 and the establishment of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize in 2016.
The Tokyo showcase, open from March 29 to May 11, is free to the public upon reservation.
