In the world of luxury, London is one of only a handful of cities boasting a retail sector that’s exceptionally well-developed in both size and variety. Not surprisingly, high-end brands go the extra yard to raise their profile, and the best way to do that, obviously is with a flagship store. For Loewe, it’s now or never. The Madrid-based fashion house has seen a remarkable transformation since British designer Jonathan Anderson took the creative reigns almost six years ago, resonating especially well with the planet’s millennial demographic. The pairing has received a huge vote of confidence of luxury conglomerate and owner LVMH, and the brand’s success of late comes with an expansion and upgrade of its global retail network. Obviously, Loewe already managed a standalone store in the British capital for quite some time, but it was time for a major upgrade, and as a result, the grand Casa Loewe opens its door.
As the name already implies, it’s designated as a global flagship store, replete with specially designed settings that were first introduced three years ago in the Spanish capital and later in Tokyo as well. The premises, inside a listed building, ooze style and sophistication, and have been designed by Anderson and his in-house creative team. At 5,242 sq.ft. (487 sqm.), the dimensions are palatial, but at the same time the interior is designed to evoke the cozy home of a collector, albeit one with very deep pockets, where Loewe‘s full range of women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, bags and accessories are leisurely mixed with curated pieces of art, craft and design from the brand’s growing art collection. Interestingly, the display of some of these artworks rotates, and ties in the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, a coveted annual award in the world of design, and the Chance Encounters exhibition series at the Loewe boutique in Miami.
Casa Loewe in London presents work by fourteen artists, including sculptures by Ernst Gamperl, photographs by Alair Gomes, the bright red Vulcano Table by Anthea Hamilton, William Turnbull’s 1956 sculpture Idol 4 and Grayson Perry’s Mum and Dad vase. The art works are interspersed with contemporary furniture pieces, such as Lambert chairs by designers Berger & Berger, handwoven rugs by Jason Collingwood, and a table from Belgian curator and designer Axel Vervoordt. Upon entering Casa Loewe, shoppers can explore women’s apparel, bags and accessories, eyewear, and silks, in addition to an open area that serves as a pop-up space where Loewe‘s capsule collections and art projects are presented. Both the cylindrical glass lift and the swirling staircase that encapsulates it, take shoppers to the second floor where women’s apparel items, shoes, and jewellery can be found. The basement section is entirely dedicated to Loewe‘s men’s collection, bags and accessories, shoes, and silks.
Casa Loewe
41-42 New Bond Street (Mayfair)
London W1S 2SQ
Telephone: +44 20 74931631
Mon-Sat 10-7
Sun 12-6
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
