Loewe opens Crafted World exhibition in Shanghai

A celebration of the house’s rich history, Spanish heritage, and commitment to the handmade, LOEWE’S Crafted World exhibition opens at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre.

An interactive journey through time, space, material and craft filled with art and culture and imbued with LOEWE’s idiosyncratic sense of fun, Crafted World is the house’s first public exhibition. Curated by its creative director Jonathan Anderson as ‘a homage to all the craftspeople around the world that have dedicated their lives to the handmade.’ Crafted World offers visitors a chance to immerse themselves in iconic designs and cultural collaborations that have illuminated LOEWE’s evolution from its founding as a leather-making collective in Madrid in 1846 to becoming one of the world’s leading luxury fashion houses.

The exhibition charts LOEWE’s 178-year history of creativity, innovation and excellence in craft. Beginning with the house’s 19th century origins, its appointment as an official supplier to the Spanish Royal Family and acquisition by LVMH in the 20th century, and the opening of its first store in Shanghai, China, at the turn of the 21st century, culminating in its renaissance guided by Jonathan Anderson. It is above all a celebration of craft, and artistic techniques passed down through the ages, which have long been supported by the LOEWE Foundation, the annual LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize, and LOEWE’s many collaborations with artisans around the world.

It is a story that transports the audience to the sights and sounds of Spain, and behind the scenes of the atelier and the many steps needed to bring a design to life. Crafted World recreates the feeling of a runway show in a room showcasing a series of looks from Jonathan Anderson’s tenure as creative director, presents a multimedia survey of the house’s support for crafts around the world, and reaches its climax in a series of nine spectacular, interactive rooms that bring the audience inside of the artworks and the visionary worlds that have inspired LOEWE’s collaborations from the past decade.