Credit: Loewe
Reviewing these 11 years of Jonathan Anderson's shows at Loewe to write this piece, I realised something that seemed unbelievable and yet should be perfectly normal: any collection could be the first and any could be the last.
There is no real peak, there are no trends, there is no old or new. There is a multitude of Jonathan's, a multitude of Loewe's, different pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that makes up the identity of a brand that has won the hearts of all, critics and public alike, not by giving in to the hype of the moment, but by making room for its growth, chapter after chapter, in 179 years of history and faith in craftsmanship and in the vision of someone who looks at the world with slightly different eyes, and who is not ashamed to tell it the same way.
That of Anderson and Loewe is a partnership that (in)consciously eludes trends, that defines its own concept of cool, that goes on a courageous search for its own, unique identity.
Not to be different or alternative, but the opposite: because you don't have to conform at all costs to be loved. Because what is love if we are not 100% ourselves?
‘A brand is not built on a show but season after season, year after year,’ said the designer in his farewell post.
It is no coincidence that he opened and closed his path at Loewe with a presentation, to emphasise that they are all steps in a path that makes sense as a whole, from fashion shows to exhibitions, from collaborations with artists to irreverent campaigns.
Jonathan Anderson at Loewe told us that we have to have fun, that lightness has to be taken seriously, that to be different is also to be free. And that really, you just have to give it time. Our own.
To quote Calvino: ‘Sometimes one believes oneself incomplete and is only young’.
