LOEWE Fall/Winter 2023 Men's Runway Collection

A reductionist act. A stress on materiality that brings the silhouette into full focus. A reduced color palette too, based on the materials, and how they react to light.

Parchment, velvet, copper, steel, leather, satin, wool: the same materials used by, or depicted by old master painters. The same angel wings, too. Capturing a moment and a movement in real time, using traditional means in non-traditional ways.

Shapes are molded, bended, frozen, tailored. A line is drawn, a fold is caught. A statement on pieces—the coat, the trench coat, the shaved shearling coat, the cardigan, the crewneck top, the slim suit—and undergarments. Oversized bags, round-toed boots and lace-ups. The contour, and what fills it. The Puzzle Tote bag introduces a supple new expression of the iconic Puzzle shape.

The interest in old mastery is triggered and mirrored in the dialogue with American artist Julien Nguyen (b. 1990). Nguyen’s use of copper and vellum as a base for paintings, his combination of traditional media including oil, tempera, gesso, encaustic and silverpoint, guides the choice of materials, while his visual references to early Renaissance painting and science fiction define the iconography of the collection, powering the reductionist act.

Note on the artworks

Julian Nguyen created three original artworks for LOEWE, depicting regular model and muse Nikos with devotional intensity.

The portrait miniature, created for the invitation, makes reference to a drawing of the personification of fortune by Prud’hon and is rendered in a style reminiscent of the Elizabethan portrait miniatures by Nicholas Hilliard. The intricately detailed image is littered with hidden meanings; the latin phrase ‘Ubi Amor, Ibi Oculus’ taken from Thomas Aquinas translates as ‘where there is love there is sight’.

The two large scale digital images created for the presentation depict Nikos in scenes taken moments apart, across time. Captured in a situation of domestic intimacy, his body is inscribed with signs and symbols that muse on the power of love.

Credit for artworks:

JULIEN NGUYEN, Ubi Amor, Ibi Oculus 2023 ©Julien Nguyen, Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery
JULIEN NGUYEN, Nikolaos Tying Tie at The Bristol Hotel 2023 ©Julien Nguyen, Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery

For more information on LOEWE FW23 men's runway collection go to www.loewe.com

In the Philippines, Loewe is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc., and is located at Shangri-La Plaza Mall East Wing and Greenbelt 3. Visit www.ssilife.com.ph or follow @ssilifeph on Instagram for more information.