Yang Mi attends LOEWE’s Crafted World celebration. Image courtesy of LOEWE

LOEWE has opened its Crafted World exhibition in Shanghai, an interactive journey through time, space, material, and craft. Curated by LOEWE’s creative director Jonathan Anderson, the exhibition is an “homage to all the craftspeople around the world that have dedicated their lives to the handmade.” Crafted World highlights LOEWE’S 178-year history from its founding as a leather-making collective in 1846 to becoming one of the world’s leading luxury fashion houses. To celebrate the opening LOEWE hosted an exclusive preview event on March 21st. Starting with a private tour of the exhibition, followed by an intimate dinner, and ending with an after-party. Guests included Yang Mi, Wu Lei, Edward Chen, Jonathan Bailey, and Sophie Wilde.

The exhibition, which is over 1,600 meters, has nine interactive rooms and captivating features like super-sized leather sculptures, a pronunciation tunnel, kid-friendly exhibits, and a moving suspended flower garden set. Crafted World was created around six thematic chapters that highlight LOEWE’s innovation. Read about each theme below:

Born from the Hand:

“Born from the Hand tells the story of LOEWE’s evolution from a leather-making collective in 1846 to the house’s modern identity through presenting key products, such as early made-to-order leather pieces and the first editions of the iconic Amazona, Flamenco and Puzzle bags, alongside architectural models, archive photographs and advertising, works from Pablo Picasso and Pedro Almodóvar signifying the spirit of the times, recent collaborations with Anthea Hamilton, and costumes for Rihanna and Beyoncé.” -LOEWE

Welcome to Spain:

“Welcome to Spain transports visitors to the sights and sounds of LOEWE’s home country. Backdropped by campaign photographs and videos by Steven Meisel, Tyler Mitchell and Gray Sorrenti, as well as the surreal sculptures of Barcelona’s Olympic Park, the shimmering blues of the Mediterranean Sea, and Andalusian Palacios Clad in Moorish-inspired tiles, this chapter places the country’s craft traditions in dialogue with the landscapes that inspire them. Structured around six tree trunks, here Basket and Bucket bags made in collaboration with Spanish artisans are presented alongside heritage Lebrillo Bowls, Pablo Picasso’s ceramics, and sea animal accessories from LOEWE’s free-spirited Paula’s Ibiza line.” -LOEWE

The Atelier:

“The Atelier goes behind the scenes to guide the audience through the many steps needed to bring the designs of LOEWE’s iconic bags to life. Beginning with a library of leathers before continuing through it’s cutting, trimming, painting and assembling, this chapter reveals the tools needed to cut by hand, and the hundreds of hours of prototyping and testing that ensure that every bag will last for many generations to come. The chapter culminates with a two-metre-tall recreation of the Howl’s Moving Castle bag created especially for the exhibition showing how the atelier re-interpreted the castle from the 2004 Studio Ghibli classic with elements of the house’s iconic bags.” -LOEWE

Fashion Without Limits:

“Fashion Without Limits immerses the audience in the avant-garde creativity, sculptural forms and playful trompe l’oeil effects of Jonathan Anderson’s runway collections for LOEWE since his appointment as creative director in 2013. The chapter features 69 looks from both men’s and womenswear collections on mannequins on plinths placed in dialogue with works of art from the LOEWE art collection that evoke his designs’ bold silhouettes: William Turnbull’s bronze sculpture Idol (1956), Haegue Yang’s textile mobile The Intermediate – Dangling Hairy Hug (2018), and Zizipho Poswa’s glazed earthenware Mireille Kamyanya, Congo (2022). Three digital totems with portrait-format screens broadcast videos from the runway give the feeling of models walking through a show space.” -LOEWE

United in Craft:

“United in Craft celebrates the joy of making creations with one’s hands, and shows how LOEWE supports craft around the world. This chapter features works from the annual LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize and videos telling their stories, the exquisitely coloured glazes of Ming and Qing Dynasty ceramics that inspired 2023’s Chinese Monochrome Collection, and the Tapestries, Baskets, Weaves, Chairs and Chestnut Roasters projects from Salone del Mobile which have seen LOEWE collaborate with Ecuadorian tapestry artists, Indian ribbon-makers, South African basket-makers and Chinese bamboo weavers, among others. The house’s dedication to a responsible and sustainable future is showcased in the beaded Elephant bags of the Knot on My Planet charity collaboration, made by Kenyan and Tanzanian craftspeople, and the repaired baskets of the 2022 Salone del Mobile exhibition Weave, Restore and Renew.” -LOEWE

Unexpected Dialogues:

“Unexpected Dialogues is a series of nine rooms immersing the audience in the visionary worlds that have inspired LOEWE’s collaborations from the past decade. The chapter features a recreation of master potter Ken Price’s New Mexico studio, Japanese ceramicists, Suna Fujita’s fairytale scenes hidden in the walls, floor-to-ceiling tactile woven carpets by John Allen, a jade quarry celebrating the ancient craft of jade carving and LOEWE’s recent Lunar New Year collection, a Joe Brainard collage brought to life, and a magical Studio Ghibli dreamworld. Three rooms are dedicated to masters of the 19th-century British Arts & Crafts movement: William Morris’s wallpapers are brought to life as animated projections, the nature-inspired tiles of William De Morgan cover a room, and a moving, suspended garden set inside an infinite hall of mirrors is inspired by C.F.A. Voysey.” -LOEWE

Crafted World is now open at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre until May 5th before traveling worldwide. The exhibition is open to the public and entrance is free.

Article by Taylor Houston, Associate Fashion & Beauty Editor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Nicolas Harris, Graphic Design Intern, PhotoBook Magazine

LOEWE Celebrates The Opening Of Its Interactive Crafted World Exhibition In Shanghai