Loewe (fashion brand)

Early years

Loewe was founded in 1846 in Madrid by a group of Spanish leather craftsmen, and the brand originated in 1876 when Enrique Loewe y Roessberg, a German merchant of Hessian origin, joined the group.^[6] In 1892, Loewe opened its first store on Calle Príncipe in Madrid.^[7] By the early 20th Century, many notable people took great interest in Loewe and Queen Victoria Eugenie became a regular customer. In 1905, Alfonso XIII granted Enrique Loewe y Hinton, a descendant of the original brand founder, the title of Purveyor to the Royal Court.^[8][9] The company quickly grew in popularity and was promoted by figures such as Ernest Hemingway, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Marlene Dietrich and Sophia Loren.^[10]

By the 1970s, Loewe was expanding into perfumes and fashion with the creation of the Loewe anagram logo, designed by Spanish painter Vicente Vela.

Loewe opened its first store in the US, in New York, in 1983.^[11][12] In 1984, Louis Urvois and Gian Luca Spinola acquired the majority of shares in Loewe.^[13] Through the 1980s, Giorgio Armani and Laura Biagiotti designed womenswear collections.^[14] In 1986, LVMH bought the rights to Loewe's international distribution.^[14]

LVMH, 1996–present

LVMH acquired Loewe completely in 1996.^[15] By 1997, Narciso Rodriguez joined the company as new creative director^[16] and the brand had its first Paris runway presentation at LVMH headquarters in the fall/winter 1998 season.^[17] Both José Enrique Oña Selfa (2000^[14]–2007^[18]) and Stuart Vevers (2008–2013)^[19][20] followed.

Members of the Spanish royal family, including Queen Sofía and Queen Letizia, have been seen several times wearing Loewe handbags.^[21]

In 2013, Jonathan Anderson was appointed creative director.^[22][23] His first ready-to-wear collections were presented in 2014.^[24] His leather bags were described by Vogue as "luxurious, functional and distinctive".^[25]

Since 2014, Loewe's headquarters – including the design team, which had previously been based in Madrid – has been located on Place Saint-Sulpice in Paris.^[26] The company remains based in Spain. Manufacture, particularly of leather goods, takes place in Barcelona and Getafe, near Madrid.^[27]

In 2019 lawsuit brought to the Tribunal de commerce de Paris, Loewe invoked a non-compete case related to its employment of designer Bruno Sialelli who became artistic director at Lanvin at a time when he was still bound by commitments linked to his prior position.^[28] As part of an out-of-court settlement in 2020, Loewe and Lanvin reached an agreement.^[29]

Following high-profile collaborations, including designing several custom performance looks for American singer Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour and strong online and physical campaign performance in China,^[30] Loewe topped the Lyst's Hottest Brand Index for the first time in the second quarter of 2023,^[31] a position previously held by Prada.^[32]

In 2025, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez were appointed creative directors of Loewe.^[5][33] The duo's creative approach was focused on crafted looks blending Spanish and American styles,^[34] “infusing their signature New York attitude into the house codes”.^[35]