Loewe’s new collection is inspired by William De Morgan
A tribute to the British master of ceramics
British ceramist William De Morgan was known for his tile designs from the Arts and Crafts art movement. Now his fantastic creatures and floral arabesques are celebrated in this new capsule collection.
Certain details are placed in coats and bags, while others are hand sewn in scarves and oversized knitwear. Some garments, such as a woolen dragon tail or a horn knitted beanie, transform the user into a monster. This is a collection in which the imagination runs free and the magical is mixed with the ordinary.
An outstanding piece is a black leather LOEWE jacket with a crimson dodo painted on the back. Another is a trench coat with peacock print in indigo, cerulean and green. Blue and white dodos and hoopoe birds decorate pants, military messenger bags and vertical totes.
“Each year we have tackled different Arts and Crafts heroes of mine,” says Jonathan Anderson. “For me it was a very natural process to do William De Morgan, he was a big collaborator in the Arts and Crafts movement and a true fantasist in that moment.”
De Morgan’s life changed in 1863 when he met textile designer William Morris. He joined the decorative arts company Morris & Co. that same year, and soon took over the design and production of tiles. According to the creed of the technical experimentation of Arts and Crafts, he developed his own innovative methods of glazing, firing and coloring. Similarly, LOEWE has an ancient mastery of artisanal skills; as demonstrated by these virtuous re-imaginations of De Morgan’s works of art.
