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From the standout collections to the red-carpet highlights and more
It’s officially the end of an era. Early this morning, Jonathan Anderson announced that he is leaving his post as creative director of Loewe, a position that he’s held for the past 11 years.
Throughout his decade-plus tenure, Anderson has not only made Loewe one of the most profitable brands in the business, he’s also made it one of the most thrilling. The Northern Ireland–born designer reinvented the codes of the once-quiet Spanish luxury house and infused it with a sense of whimsy and unbridled creativity. To wit, consider the Loewe puzzle bag, a heel fashioned into a small balloon, and a dress with a giant needle poking through the front, just to name a small few triumphs. He is a designer who challenges us to think about fashion in a different way, to wear clothes as a radical act of expressiveness.
Not to mention, he’s made fans of countless celebrities and collaborated on numerous film projects, helping to make Loewe a crucial part of the zeitgeist. He’s also championed artisans with his founding of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize and teamed up with partners for charitable collaborations, proving that his dedication to art and community knows no bounds.
Of course, we certainly count ourselves fans here at Harper’s Bazaar. Ahead, our editors have rounded up their favorite moments from Anderson’s Loewe years. From Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance to the Challengers press tour and more, scroll ahead to see our personal highlights.
1. Taylor Russell at the 2024 Met Gala
Cindy Ord/MG24
“It’s hard to imagine a better celebrity ambassador for Jonathan Anderson’s Loewe than the understatedly cool Taylor Russell. The actor matches the cheeky whimsy of Anderson’s creations with her own infectious energy, and that soul-mate pairing was never more apparent than when she made her Met Gala debut this year in a gown with a molded high-neck bodice—complete with a trompe l’oeil wooden pattern and a trailing white skirt that draped elegantly over her figure.” —Chelsey Sanchez, editor
2. Challengers
MGM / Warner Bros
“The special magic of Jonathan Anderson’s Loewe is that it feels otherworldly. It’s transformative because it’s fun. It makes you laugh like your favorite film as you tilt your head to try and understand if the patterns really are blurry or if the pants are really as impossibly high as you imagine. And so of course Anderson would lend his talents to a film’s costume department to help bring fiction to life. His designs were perfect for Challengers because the film was as twisted and sexy as his work. It was weird but alluring in the most perfect way. And who else can make a simple gray shirt that says ‘I Told Ya’ as instantly desirable as Anderson?” —Tara Gonzalez, former senior fashion editor
3. The Launch of the Loewe Craft Prize in 2017
Loewe
“Anderson’s final collection for Loewe was, in many ways, a love letter to the purity of craft (also an incredibly memorable moment in his career, of course). He is a creative director who has always led with ideas and with the handmade, rather than logos, trends, or formulaic marketing strategies. And it’s too tough to pick just one thing, one show, one red-carpet moment. Anderson loves fashion and design, but above all else he loves the handmade, which is why he launched the Loewe Craft Prize in 2017. For a brand in revival mode back then, it was a bold gesture to put focus and resources toward empowering independent makers around the world, mainly those that exist outside the realm of fashion. But that’s just it: For Anderson, fashion isn’t just about a garment; it’s about the intention behind the thing and the human hand that made it. That’s been the magic of his Loewe and will be the legacy he leaves behind.” —Brooke Bobb, fashion news director
4. The 10-Year Anniversary Collection
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“Jonathan celebrated his 10-year anniversary at the helm of Loewe with a standout collection. His Spring 2025 collection featured a group of stunning floral chiffon gowns with circular crinolines that bounced as the models walked down the runway. One was more stunning than the next. He also paid tribute to how music reminded us of special times in our lives, with reimagined ‘concert tees’ for Mozart and Bach that were made entirely out of feathers. It was a memorable collection, which was his last for the brand.” —Nicole Fritton, executive fashion director
5. The Balloon Effect
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“One of the things I buy the most about Jonathan Anderson is his sense of play and humor. He’s able to take the everyday and nostalgic objects we all love and subvert them, making them highly desirable. One of the greatest examples of this is his pieces that centered the balloon as the design focus. They were interwoven into dresses and shoes as 3D sculptures and really were a childhood dream come true!” —Lynette Nylander, executive digital director
6. Greta Lee in Everything
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“Is there a better, more organically fabulous pairing than Greta Lee and Jonathan Anderson’s Loewe? I think not. Whether she’s gracing the front row of a fashion show or commanding your eyes on the red carpet during awards season, Lee is one of a handful of celebrities who really made Anderson’s work sing. The black and white draped gown she wore for the 2024 Oscars is a personal favorite, showing off the duo’s joint malleability as designer and muse.” —Bianca Betancourt, culture editor
7. Rihanna’s Super Bowl LVII Halftime Performance
Kevin Mazur
“I thought it was impossible for Rihanna performing at the Super Bowl to be any more iconic than it already was … and then she showed up wearing custom Loewe and announced her pregnancy. It essentially brought a whole new meaning to the word.” —T.G.
8. The Puzzle Bag
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“To me, his interest in pushing the limits while embracing the traditions of craftsmanship is one thing that has always set his accessories apart. They were as beautiful as they were functional and always had an artistic flair and an almost childlike playfulness to them. The perfect example is when I saw the Puzzle bag for the first time at the Fall 2015 show. You knew you were seeing the birth of an icon.” —Miguel Enamorado, accessories director
9. The Anthurium Flower From Spring 2023
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Juergen Teller / Loewe
This article originally appeared in harpersbazaar.com
