Loewe SS26 Heralds A New Era While Honoring Its Long Legacy
As Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez debut their first collection at the 178-year-old Spanish house.
Summary
- Designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler have taken over at Loewe, debuting their first women’s collection for Spring/Summer 2026.
- The collection honors Loewe’s Spanish roots with a sunny palette, surreal beachgoer numbers, and intricate leatherwork, including fringe trims and molded bodices.
American designers Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez have officially taken the baton from Jonathan Anderson at Loewe, showing their first women’s collection at Paris Fashion Week SS26 this Friday.
Following Anderson’s tenure, the incumbent designers, formerly of Proenza Schouler, had big shoes to fill. Not only was his decade-spanning residency highly acclaimed to the end, but the house itself has been in business for almost two centuries. The designers rose from an American label they built themselves into a European label with a multi-generational legacy. However, the duo’s debut was far from disappointing.
In keeping with Anderson’s legacy, playful silhouettes provided a surreal flair, all while demonstrating a meticulous approach to tailoring and leatherwork. Honoring Loewe’s Spanish roots, the collection was nothing short of bold, both in its sunny Mediterranean palette and beach-ready numbers.
Some of the first looks to come down the runway echoed Anderson’s Polly Pocket-esque silhouettes seen in FW22 and FW23. Leather mini dresses were rendered in primary red, blue, and green, as well as patterned variants with dainty florals. Later, the stiff leather textiles take the form of miniskirts, blazers, and ultra-roomy handbags, providing a strong contrast to the overall light and supple quality of the collection.
From the rigid leather pieces that lean away from the body, to flowy maxi dresses reminiscent of Flamenco attire, not much is tight-fitting. Furthermore, numbers with ruffled finishes, hidden color panels, and bouncy fringe give the garments satisfying movement in the breeze. Asymmetrical gowns present a black facade with panels of orange, magenta, and yellow behind, moving like flames as the models walked the runway. Elsewhere, diagonal skirts trailed behind strong tapered blazers with an inflated quality.
Towards the end of the presentation, beachgoers hit the runway in iridescent towel wrap dresses, and massive striped gowns — as if the shade canopies were snatched off the beach cabanas and haphazardly repurposed as coverups. The seemingly conventional garments, including knitted polos, tank tops, and tees, were scrunched and wrinkled like they had been drying in the sun for hours. The tongue-in-cheek thematic play reads as a gentle nod to Anderson’s whimsical style.
All in all, Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez show their talent for adaptation, nurturing the established hallmarks of Loewe with respect, while injecting a burst of fresh energy into where Anderson left off.
See the full collection in the gallery above and stay tuned to Hypebeast for the latest fashion industry insights.
