Photographer Gray Sorrenti heads to New Dehli to capture Loewe’s latest Paula’s Ibiza collection
“I know this is not exactly the ideal time to launch products,” says Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson, of the Spanish leather-goods house’s latest Paula’s Ibiza collection, revealed today in a photo series by Gray Sorrenti shot in New Delhi. “But this is a project all the craftspeople at Loewe have been loving working on for some time, giving life to objects that are exquisitely lively and optimistic.” The collection is just that: a visual feast of brightly coloured clothes and accessories inspired by rave culture, which of course germinated in Ibiza – providing some escapism from the current climate. “This is a happy, and undeniably escapist collection conveyed through colourful and energetic images,” says Anderson. “I thought it might cheer you up.”
The collection is a celebration of the Spanish island – a place “very dear and very personal” to Anderson – and a continuation of Loewe’s partnership with the boutique Paula’s Ibiza, founded by Armin Heinemann and Stuart Rudnick in the 1970s, when the island was a much simpler place. Half bohemian retreat, half hedonistic mecca, Ibiza was predominantly rural when Heinemann and Rudnick opened the doors of their boutique. That untouched natural scenery was the inspiration for their early designs, as well as the exuberant decor of their store, which saw floral prints splashed across the walls. The latest collection in this continuing collaboration seeks to capture Paula’s original spirit, spanning menswear, womenswear, accessories and, for the first time, a fragrance. “It’s escapism, bottled,” Anderson says.
“I wanted to capture the breezy spirit of the Balearics and celebrate a moment in time that saw the hedonism of these islands expand to influence subcultures across the world,” says Anderson of the collection, which mines the “kaleidoscopic archive” of Heinemann and Rudnick. “Part rave, part Cyberdog”, the collection is bursting with acid neons, earthy greens and blues, and sunrise oranges and reds. As ever with Loewe, craft is at the heart of the collection, and so the pieces are created alongside communities of artisans using specialist techniques and naturally occuring materials, such as wild reeds woven into basket designs, spun cabuya thread from agave cactus plants, and braided palm-fronds – a traditional weaving style that originated on the Balearic islands.
Sorrenti’s photo series which captures this collection evokes a similarly carefree spirit, featuring a group of young people roaming around New Dehli – BMXing on rooftops, riding tuk-tuks and scooters, partying in Dilliwalen Havelis and lounging on mounds of marigolds. Loewe is donating 40 euros of each sale from this collection to help socially vulnerable children affected by the pandemic, as well as an initial donation of 500,000 euros as the collection debuts. The house is also partnering with Spanish initiative Plataforma de Infancia to launch a series of educational programmes this summer in Spain to reduce inequality and school dropouts, and is donating 100,000 surgical masks to the Spanish Red Cross, while continuing the production of non-surgical masks in the house’s Getafe factory.
Loewe Paula’s Ibiza 2020 collection is available now via www.loewe.com.
