Loewe inaugurates the Crafted World exhibition in Shanghai

The Loewe house opens a new Crafted World exhibition in Shanghai, a combination of celebration of the house's history, its Spanish heritage and its recent and intense commitment to the handmade.

The exhibition officially opens on Friday, March 22 inside the Shanghai Exhibition Center. It is designed to be an interactive journey through time, space, material and craft filled with art and culture, all imbued with the idiosyncratic sense of fun that is the signature of the house's creative director, Jonathan Anderson.

Crafted World is also the first public exhibition for Loewe, a Madrid-based luxury brand that is one of the fastest-growing houses of luxury conglomerate LVMH.

Curated by Anderson as “a tribute to all the artisans around the world who have dedicated their lives to the handmade”, Crafted World offers visitors the opportunity to witness iconic designs and cultural collaborations dating back to the evolution of Loewe from a collective of leather manufacturers in Madrid. in 1846 to its status as one of the most influential fashion brands.

The 93,000-square-meter Shanghai Exhibition Center is one of the largest integrated building complexes in central Shanghai. Built in 1955, it was the tallest building in the city for many decades and remains an important landmark.

The exhibition traces Loewe's 178-year history of artisanal innovation, from the house's origins in the 19th century and its appointment as official supplier to the Spanish Royal Family to its acquisition by LVMH at the end of the 20th century. All the way up to opening its first store in Shanghai, China, at the beginning of the 21st century.

It is also a celebration of craft and artistic techniques passed down through the ages, supported by the Loewe Foundation, the annual Loewe Foundation Crafts Prize, along with Loewe's many collaborations with artisans around the world.

Crafted World is designed to capture the senses and sounds of Spain; Take a look inside the brand's atelier and recreate the feeling of a runway show in a room showcasing a series of looks from Anderson's tenure as creative director. It culminates with a series of nine spectacular, interactive rooms that take the public inside the works of art.

The design of Crafted World was led by Ellen van Loon, partner, and Giulio Margheri, associates at OMA, an architecture studio working in fashion and set design.