Loewe's 'Spirited Away' Collaboration Is A Welcome Escape
Following on from the success of Loewe's first collaboration with the Japanese animators Studio Ghibli, which focused on the 1988 film My Neighbor Totoro, the second instalment brings characters from Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away (2001) to life. Occupying a similar space to the film, somewhere between fantasy and reality, the world of Loewe plays home to the lead character Chihiro, the elusive and faceless Kaonashi, and creatures such as the bird and lychee-like susuwatari.
Patchwork workers-style jackets are inspired by the classic Japanese technique ‘boro’, and leather and towelling shorts are on offer alongside knitwear, t-shirts and hoodies. It's both an accessible and fashion-forward range typical of designer Jonathan Anderson. Illustrations from the film are rendered through artisanal techniques such as jacquard and appliqué, and accessories include the covetable Puzzle, Flamenco and Amazona bags.
'The fantasy world is a magnificent escape. It is a parallel reality in which everybody can learn something in the most heartfelt and fulfilling of ways and Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli are true masters of the fantastic...By stressing tactility and three-dimensional form, Loewe artisans brought the characters to life, just as the movie’s spirits are brought to life in the real world.' - Jonathan Anderson, Loewe's creative director.
