Loewe in Paris: from the return of the tie to the new 'Pasito' bag

Madrid – As one of the key entries on the calendar for the latest edition of Paris Fashion Week, the Spanish house Loewe was responsible for opening the fifth day of official shows on Friday, October 2. On this day, the historic Spanish firm, controlled by the French multinational holding company LVMH, presented its new collection for the upcoming spring/summer 2027 season. This proposal is built on practicality and the codes of American minimalism, drawing from Spanish baroque influences and the house's own core values.

Placed in the context of the new creative reality under which the firm is operating, which is now heading towards the final stretch of its 180th anniversary celebrations, this is the third collection the house has presented on the catwalk since the appointment of Americans Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez as Loewe's new creative directors in March 2025. The design duo, founders of the New York-based firm Proenza Schouler, debuted in this role exactly one year ago during Paris Fashion Week in September-October 2025. They presented a womenswear collection for spring/summer 2026, subtly taking the first steps towards building 'their new Loewe'. This new reality for the historic Spanish house has since been manifested through their campaign imagery, the choice of new house ambassadors, and a second runway collection for the autumn/winter 2026/2027 season. This collection, featuring both womenswear and menswear, was presented during the last Paris Fashion Week.

Continuing this effort to redefine Loewe's codes and imagery, the Spanish house released its campaign images for the autumn/winter 2026/2027 collections at the end of August. These images served as a prelude to the recent presentation in Paris of the latest collection designed for Loewe by McCollough and Hernandez. It is their third women's ready-to-wear and second men's collection for the upcoming spring/summer 2027 season. This collection finally reveals the new creative reality they have pushed the Spanish house towards, ending the 'Jonathan Anderson era' and burying his references to the Arts and Crafts movement and his nineteenth-century perspective on redefining craftsmanship. In contrast, McCollough and Hernandez openly present a new Loewe that speaks the language of American utilitarian minimalism. It includes references to sports like basketball, parachuting, and skiing, as well as après-ski. It also draws from the minimalist and refined aesthetic of 80s-90s New York popularised by Calvin Klein, and of course, the unmistakable 'preppy' style of the Ivy League. These influences are subverted by using the house's Spanish heritage and its unique artisanal tradition as a starting point. This exercise creates a dialogue of seemingly opposing codes, brought together under the creative direction of McCollough and Hernandez.

“It is a conversation between the old and new worlds,” the creative duo explained of the collection, where “modernist colour blocks meet Spanish baroque gestures,” and “the New England coast” meets “sun-drenched Andalusia.” These references speak to “the comfort and ease of American pragmatism,” placed in dialogue with “notes of the drama, ritual, and history of Spain.” As a result of this exercise, “what we offer is a style proposal.” For this proposal, “we start from the vision, from the craftsmanship” of the house, and by extension its Spanish roots, to create pieces to which “we bring realism and personality” from American utilitarian minimalism. The result is a series of pieces and designs with a clear “proximity to life and a proximity to our own sensibility, even our autobiography,” the creative duo highlighted.

A collection to be worn, used and lived in

Presented on Friday, October 2, from the Château de Vincennes, the most striking and noteworthy aspect of the collection is what lies beneath its surface. Behind the apparent minimalist simplicity of its patterns, the simplicity of its colour palette, the boldness of its volumes, and the coolness of its forms, we find garments crafted with complex and meticulous artisanal work. These are pieces with precisely and carefully studied patterns and details, garments that speak of experiences and feelings. McCollough and Hernandez delve into this emotional and sensual aspect in their second spring/summer collection for Loewe. They leverage the natural framework of a spring/summer season and their intimate connection with New England, a region they identify as the source of the American pragmatism that runs through the collection and holds a central place in their biographies and creative worlds.

Keeping in mind this play of opposites between simplicity and complexity; minimalism and baroque; utilitarianism and aestheticism; and ultimately, the new and old worlds, which characterises this collection and is emerging as the key factor defining McCollough and Hernandez's tenure at Loewe, let's start with the colour palette. The collection presents a range of tones moving from blacks and whites to aged browns, greens, reds, and yellows, with acid accents of neon yellows, turquoises, or Klein blues. This well-studied and measured colour palette has clear references to the sporting world of skiing, snow, and water sports, as well as to the paintings and artistic universe of the Spanish baroque. These references are transgressed by the reality of the season, presented in colour notes 'burnt' by the spring and summer sun. This gesture goes beyond the merely stylistic, reflecting a fashion that is used, practical, and capable of responding to the needs of modern life. In short, it is a fashion that demands to be lived in, not stored or postponed. This message is far from gratuitous at a time when the luxury industry is suffering from declining sales and is being questioned for its apparent disconnection from its audience.

Following the intentions hinted at by its colour palette, the collection's patterns and silhouettes feature knit pieces with a neoprene wetsuit cut and baroque-inspired skirts and dresses tied with elastic cords, subverting their references to evoke the world of parachuting. Other key pieces include polo shirts with 'deformed' collars, as if hastily thrown on; slip dresses modelled on the archetype of a basketball jersey; trench coats and dresses with iridescent collars that replicate those of typical snow-sport goggles; silk anoraks designed to be worn directly against the skin; and daring 'cut out' dresses with floral prints that twist like a painter's canvas. Completing this series of key pieces are high-waisted trousers inspired by sports jumpsuits; short A-line dresses in nappa leather; shirt-inspired jackets and trench coats made of leather; translucent towel-effect dresses made from glass beads; and semi-open leather skirts inspired by Loewe's first fashion garment, a gold-coloured suede jacket launched in 1960.

Beyond these exceptional pieces and designs, the accessories collection presented as part of this proposal is particularly revealing. It stands as a testament to the new creative era Loewe has entered under the direction of McCollough and Hernandez. Standout pieces include a new version of the Puzzle bag, the 'Puzzle Charm', which is more horizontal, lighter, and designed to be carried either slung or by hand. There is also a new version of the Flamenco bag, whose characteristic knots and gathers have given way to a new 'shopper' bag with a flap and a single handle. This silhouette is reminiscent of both the new Amazona 180 and Balenciaga's Rodeo and Bottega Veneta's bags due to its metallic details. A new 'Pasito' bag was also introduced, featuring a classic box-bag structure wrapped in a flexible, soft nappa leather cover. Equally key, and singularly paradigmatic, is the new collection of ties. These designs, taken directly from Loewe's archives, are made of silk with motifs inspired by Spanish painting. With them, the house revives a product category that was discontinued under Jonathan Anderson's creative direction in his effort to redefine and renew the Spanish house's codes and aesthetic.

However, as part of this new chapter under the creative direction of McCollough and Hernandez, “history is approached with lightness and naturalness,” Loewe noted. These words apply as much to the references to Spanish baroque and American modernism in which this collection is rooted as to its own history as a fashion house. This history continues to be shaped by this latest proposal, built from “layers that are then removed to ultimately reveal the person underneath.” “The corporeal and the physical are expressed through garments that are moulded by the shape of the person who wears, lives, and breathes in them,” leading, “in short,” Loewe added, to “a wardrobe anchored in the personal history” of the wearer.