Loewe has launched an exclusive collection and visual installation at Neiman Marcus in recognition of Jonathan Anderson‘s 2023 Neiman Marcus Award for Creative Impact.
Anderson was the first winner of NM’s Creative Impact Award, which recognizes individuals who have influenced the industry and culture with their singular vision and ability to inspire. The exclusive Loewe collection, which launched Saturday, will be available through April 18.
“The Neiman Marcus Awards connect creative visionaries from around the world with our luxury customers in a truly remarkable way,” said Ryan Ross, president of Neiman Marcus and head of NMG Customer Insights. “For over a decade Jonathan Anderson has revitalized Loewe, bringing great commercial success to the house and establishing himself as one of the most powerful names in luxury fashion today. We are proud to partner with Loewe through our awards platform to bring customers this extraordinary collection and exclusive experiences.”
The exclusive Spanish luxury collection features 19 ready-to-wear pieces inspired by looks from the Loewe archives. Pieces range from a belted suede trenchcoat, leather trousers and a polo dress to the house’s signature Anagram baggy jeans and elongated tailoring. The various silhouettes are defined by an ease and softness, complemented with dramatic volumes such as the signature Obi belt in orange leather.
“What’s remarkable are the 19 different exclusive styles, as well as this incredibly compelling immersive installation in Beverly Hills and in NorthPark with geometric shapes with stone and marble,” said Lana Todorovich, chief merchandising officer of Neiman Marcus. While handbags are still Neiman’s biggest Loewe category, Todorovich said, “We’ve doubled the [Loewe] business in shoes, we’ve doubled the business in ready-to-wear, so we thought we’ll focus on ready-to-wear for this particular expression.”
In describing the collection, Anderson said, “Neiman Marcus Award’s celebration of my tenure at Loewe was really the genesis of this collection. It’s an amalgamation of the different textures and eras of my runway collections for the house, exploring the archive and reimagining key pieces for today. The capsule plays on the idea of individual characters, each connected by a common thread, something that lies at the core of Loewe’s prismatic identity as a brand.”
Todorovich anticipates bestsellers will be the suede leather long wrap coat, gray polo dress, Anagram jeans and Anagram sweater. Overall retail prices go from $550 for a graphic short-sleeve slim-fit T-shirt to $7,750 for a belted suede leather long wrap coat.
The collection comes to life through installations at Neiman Marcus NorthPark in Dallas and Beverly Hills that combine geometric shapes with stone and marble elements that serve as a backdrop to the product assortment. Besides those two locations, the collection is available at Neiman’s stores in San Francisco, Michigan Avenue in Chicago and Coral Gables, Fla.
In addition to in-store, customers can shop the exclusive Loewe collection online and through remote selling. Digitally, the collection is activated through a home page takeover at Neimanmarcus.com, as well as the Neiman Marcus app and SMS messaging. Neiman’s and Loewe hosted an event for top customers in Dallas Wednesday night.
For 86 years the NM Awards were given out to designers such as Giorgio Armani, Coco Chanel, Miuccia Prada, Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino. The reimagined Neiman Marcus Awards started up again last year, having been dormant for seven years. Last year, Neiman Marcus introduced two new categories, Innovation and Creative Impact. The winners were honored in Paris during Paris Fashion Week.
As part of the NM Awards platform, recipients create exclusive brand expressions through immersive experiences and exclusive products for Neiman Marcus customers.
There is no question that Anderson, who hails from Northern Ireland, has revved up Loewe since arriving at the creative helm in 2013. Neiman Marcus began stocking Loewe in 2014, starting with handbags and men’s accessories. It began carrying women’s ready-to-wear and women’s shoes in 2021, with women’s handbags and some accessories. The brand is now carried in 24 doors and online.
In 2003, Loewe saw a double-digit increase in net sales at Neiman’s, according to Todorovich. “Certain categories have doubled such as ready-to-wear and footwear, and the handbags have significantly grown,” she said. She is optimistic the Neiman’s customer will embrace the luxury collection.
“This is an opportunity for all our clients to engage with the brand in this very special way. They appreciate the exclusivity of the product and appreciate the unique opportunity that they don’t have anywhere else to engage with the product in this immersive environment. It serves a very unique purpose,” she said.
“I think it will do fantastically. It’s a moment to fall in love again with all the magic that made Jonathan receive this incredible award. He has made an impact in our industry and has moved the industry in a very unique direction,” she said. She said her customers who buy Loewe have the courage to experiment. “We certainly know our customers love fashion, they love craftsmanship and they love storytelling. These are the three elements that are so prominent in his designs. I see this relationship going on and on, for at least another decade,” she said.
In an interview with WWD last year, Anderson described what gives Loewe its character.
“The brand is about storytelling. There is a complex language that is being built, but ultimately it is about bringing people on the journey with either something they expect or something they don’t expect. I think that’s what’s nice about Loewe — you cannot pigeonhole it,” he said.
As reported, Anderson curated “Crafted World,” an immersive exhibition about Loewe that opened at the Shanghai Exhibition on March 22. The exhibition is divided into six thematic chapters that narrate the brand’s evolution from a leather-making collective to a fashion house, and most recently, a cultural and craft-focused brand. The itinerant exhibition will be on view free of charge until May 5 until embarking on a world tour.
