Loewe FW26: A triumph of color

What is the end of Jack McCollough and Lázaro Hernández? Only two seasons have passed and it’s already clear: brilliant, funny, a little surreal, with a pinch of sensuality. What Jonathan Anderson did for Loewe was not simply dusting off a nearly two-century-old luxury house, but injecting it with fresh, contemporary DNA. So when his successors were named and the changing of the guard was underway, critics asked a simple question: Do you raise the bar a bit or tone it down and rewire it from scratch?

Jack and Lázaro’s response was clear: up, up, up we go. Either methodology was bound to receive criticism anyway. And the Anderson loyalists who mock Loewe, well, they just don’t get it. But make no mistake. What Jack and Lazaro are building for the Loewe house is not simply a continuation of Jonathan’s codes, but mutations of them. Craftsmanship is paramount in every Loewe show, although never without a sense of fun. That is maximized at the FW26 show.

Organized in a large box with a parquet floor in the color Big Bird, Loewe sends 65 glances along the catwalk. Each model stands out with neoprene water boot heels and some variation of bulge, bump or restriction in the silhouettes. “For us, the act of creating is, at its core, an expression of joy,” said the creative duo. There was a level of childlike wonder to the clothes, but never in a childish or pandering way. The opening look is a bright pale yellow camisole that doesn’t flow like it normally should, but rather shakes up and down with the model’s walking movements. The new Loewe is also not afraid of a little CMYK. Bright shades of red, yellow and orange dominate the collection; the only prints found were used with restrictions, checkered patterns depicted in different scales, from large to miniature.

Loewe’s innovations do not come from nowhere, but from a rigorous process of experimentation. Most of the time, this work takes place behind the closed doors of the workshop. This time, however, it almost feels like the audience is invited into that process, reviewing the results as they walk down the runway. The material and color combinations are deliberately unconventional: neoprene meets leather, skin meets latex. At first glance, these roulette-like combinations seem random, even conflicting. However, they are intriguing enough to capture our attention and in the end, most of us are convinced. This is the new Loewe for you.

Once you’re done with this story, click here to catch up on our March 2026 issue.