Anna worked her magic.
I don’t know why them but I’m going with an open mind.
I wasn’t a fan of JWA when he was announced for the position and he did his magic with his earlier collections. I was less thrilled by his latest Loewe collections but the pieces and everything were always great in stores.
And it’s probably the brand that has the best handbags line in that club of mainstream luxury brands.
He cleverly embraced the old and made it new.
For me, Proenza Schouler was the brand for NYC people who were cool, who pretended to love fashion and who embodied that fantasy of the Art Gallerist that NYC people loved so much.
It will be interesting to see their transition and to see what will be their approach. They never had any identity but I suspect that they created a project that convinced Toledano and others.
This will be a break it or make it kind of situation. Wang never recovered from his flop at Balenciaga. His controversy later only put him on a coffin.
I disagree, even though I’m one of the members who has called out PS every season. PS's focus on Phoebe can be attributed to their RTW business model. Jonathan can explore his creativity at Loewe largely because LVMH doesn’t rely on him to drive RTW sales. It's essential to consider their financial situations when comparing their creative outputs. If anything, a more appropriate comparison would be between JW's own London brand (now mostly known for Uniqlo collaborations) and PS's brand
I think we have to stop this narrative that groups don’t expect people to sell clothes.
Today, every category count.
So yes, RTW has to sell. It has to be profitable and it’s usually the easiest way for clients to create an interesting relationship with the brand. In general top clients buy the RTW as much as the limited editions bags.
And the RTW proposition at Loewe and even at all brands under LVMH has evolved. From the logo tshirt to the eveningwear. The On collaboration makes them believable even in active wear.
So yes, their job will be to create the next original IT bag for the brand but also good clothes. If the clothes have an impact, they will sell more bags. If the hype is great enough, they will sell clothes. From the moment JWA leaves, Loewe won’t be able to rest on the success of the Puzzle anyway.