Courtesy of Loewe
Jonathan Anderson reenlists Suna Fujita, the Kyoto-based artists for a whimsical collection inspired by meadows and the deep unknown.
What Loewe does best is a collaboration. Over the years, we’ve seen creative unions with artists such as William Morris, Joe Brainard, Maruja Mallo, Ken Price, Paula’s Ibiza, and most famously, Studio Ghibli. Unlike other labels, what makes Loewe unrivaled is its allegiance to craftsmanship, with leather marquetry and intarsia techniques that create ‘merch’ at a luxury level.
Suna Fujita is a husband-and-wife ceramic studio by Shohei Fujita and Chisato Yamano, who have been working together since 2005, and live and work in an untouched woodland near a village, neighboring the city of Kyoto in Japan. Each one of their bespoke ceramics is a juxtaposition of quotidian vessels adorned with the otherworldly; Greek artefact-like depictions of animals, plants, landscapes, and children telling a fragmented dream.
Last year, Loewe took five key Suna Fujita ceramics and created an entire collection of clothes, bags, accessories, and candles, which won the inaugural Luxury & Lifestyle Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this summer. This season, Jonathan Anderson has reprised the collaboration with “a world where animals, nature and humans coexist as equals” by the duo in original illustrations and ceramics.
A menagerie of underwater creatures, whales, and squids is met with springtime bunnies and hamsters, ornamenting classic Loewe designs such as the Flamenco, Hammock, Puzzle, and Pebble Bucket bags. These super-kawaii creatures also appear on wallets, bag straps, pouches, and adorable felt keyrings.
