News feed
Those who bemoaned the premature death of cerebral ready-to-wear with the recent changing of the guard at a certain fashion house evidently didn’t consider the work that Jonathan Anderson is doing in his capacity as the creative director at Spanish luxury house, Loewe. Case in point: the house’s imminent capsule collection inspired by the work of the early 20th century architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
The Glaswegian-born polymath recently reentered headlines in June this year when one of his Art Nouveau architectural icons, the Glasgow School of Art (designed by Mackintosh in 1909), was tragically engulfed in flames for the second time in four years. Though its loss was mourned globally, Mackintosh’s influence has, evidently, not waned in the months since. This year would’ve been Mackintosh’s 150th birthday, and during his lifetime he was considered something of a rebel – the creative antithesis of the establishment – for his deft commingling of the worlds of architecture and artisanal handcraft, earthen colours and texture and a litany of global architectural styles (sound familiar?). It’s not surprising then that Anderson and the house should find a synergy with Mackintosh’s work, conveyed here in a collection that honours the architect and designer across an array of artful accessories and ready-to-wear.
Many of the pieces explore elements of Mackintosh’s process across varied fields of design, from architecture to interiors and objects (Mackintosh famously designed every single element of his buildings interiors and exteriors, right down to the door handles, balustrades and lighting fixtures). Of particular note are a series of blanket scarves, coats, totes and variations on the theme of shirting that have seen Mackintosh’s botanical sketches transposed directly onto the garment. Then there is a shirt featuring Mackintosh’s own likeness, taken from a black-and-white portrait captured during his younger years. In the portrait, Mackintosh wears an extravagant bow around his next while sporting a perfectly coiffed handlebar moustache. He looks every bit the rakish star of his long gone era and now, perhaps, our own.
The Loewe Mackintosh collection will be available in stores in November and December.
Tile and cover image: Supplied/Courtesy of Loewe
