Spain’s most famous couture house presents high fashion in a gallery setting with works from renowned artists, including Picasso.
After having been closed for some three years Casa Loewe, the Barcelona flagship store of the Spanish fashion house, reopens on Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona’s most famous shopping street.
Fans and neophytes alike are lining up (literally) to visit this gestamtkunstwerk, a project that stands testament to the Loewe’s commitment to craft, design, art and architecture. Loewe’s artistic director Jonathan Anderson is the creative force behind the artistic expression of Spain’s most important fashion maison, which also sponsors the prestigious Loewe Foundation Craft Prize.
Casa Loewe Barcelona is accommodated with the renowned Casa Lléo Morera originally designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner in the early 1900s.
One of the most famous Catalan modernista architects, the building forms part of a tripartite of architectural masterpieces that give this city block its name, the Manzana de la discordia (city block of discordance). The name reflects the very different architectural styles that can be seen here: The Casa Batllo (Gaudí), Casa Amellter (Puig i Cadafalch) and the building that contains Casa Loewe.
Although the organisation of the store has effectively been retained, visitors will find a very different interior.
Casa Loewe Barcelona has been designed to evoke an arts and crafts gallery, with works from Loewe’s private art collection interspersed with Loewe bestselling products, alongside new and specially commissioned installations for the store. There is a beautifully balanced approach to providing a mixture of neutral textures and backdrops so that the new Loewe collections as well as the artworks always remain the focus.
Polished concrete floors, surfaces clad with neutral elongated ceramic tiles and recessed niches in grey plastered walls are all juxtaposed with the Loewe’s famous bags, sunglasses, wallets and curated fashion items.
The colour palette reflects the exterior of the modernista building with its pink granite columns, soft sandstone detailing and brightly coloured mosaics. The combination of historical artefacts from various periods are a testament to the numerous refurbishments that the building has undergone over the years. During the conservation of the original ceilings, intricate gold-leaf detailing from the Domènech i Montaner design was rediscovered and restored by experts.
The artisans of Ceràmica Cumella —the prolific tile and ceramic makers based in Granollers— have built a tiled wall in varying hues of white. Ceramic columns in different shades of blue that were inspired by the Mediterranean Sea have been erected throughout the store. Across the 512sqm space, maple wood counters give additional warmth to this quietly modern space.
Central to the Case Loewe concept is the presentation of works from the Loewe collection, a growing anthology of art, craft and design. Each piece has been selected on principles of excellence, innovation and craftsmanship.
Fusing past and present, visitors can see period furniture pieces from the British Arts and Crafts movement, such as an oak armchair, rustic low table, and rare boarded stool by William Birch alongside contemporary design such as tables by Axel Vervoodt, chairs by Utrecht, and colourful rugs by John Allen.
A large-scale site-specific sculpture built from bamboo by Japanese artist Tanabe Chikuunsai IV is featured on the mezzanine level. This delicate gossamer structure straddles the room in sinuous curves like a living organism. Similarly, a suspended macramé sculpture by Catalan artist Aurelia Muñoz is set into a Mediterranean blue ceramic clad corner of the lower-floor area. Above the connecting stairs a dramatic black Dangling Hairy Hug by Haegue Yang is a companion piece to Richard Wright’s stained-glass window. Interspersed within the store are eight ceramics by Pablo Picasso selected by Anderson and a four-part folding decorative screen by Marc Camille Chaimowicz.
The design and artworks at Casa Loewe Barcelona are exhibited with equal reverence as Loewe’s crafted leathergoods and men’s and women’s haute couture, engaging visitors to Barcelona in a cultural dialogue that goes beyond fashion.
To visit the Casa Loewe Barcelona, and other modernista gems along the Passeig de Gràcia that fuse history with high fashion, book a tour with us!
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