The Loewe brand is a Spanish luxury fashion company established by a group of Spanish leather craftspeople in 1846. The brand is not only a luxury label with a good heritage; it also belongs to the LVMH Group. The LVMH Group is a French Conglomerate and one of the industry’s most influential fashion groups. While it is not as expensive as other brands like Hermes, it certainly does not belong to the cheap category.
Loewe has remained a household name in the industry for nearly two hundred years. The brand is considered a luxury because it costs more than the typical mass-market brand; not everyone can afford it. Also, Loewe is considered a luxury because it offers status and exclusivity; only the few who can afford it own it. If you’re curious about the Loewe Brand or are considering investing in one of its items, keep reading.
Why Is Loewe Considered a Luxury Brand?
Before a brand can be tagged ‘luxury,’ it must offer three things: high quality, ridiculously high price tags, and exclusivity. Some other things are considered when determining the luxury status of a brand, but these are the top three. Loewe offers all these things and more; thus, it is considered a true luxury brand. Other brands offer exclusivity and high quality, but because many people can afford them, they are not considered a true luxury.
While Loewe is not the most expensive brand on the fashion market, it is also not the cheapest. For instance, one Loewe handbag costs nothing less than $2,500; that’s not an amount everyone wants to spend on a handbag. Only the wealthy with enough money to buy the bag and whose bank accounts would not feel a thing can afford it. Thus, Loewe offers exclusivity to those who can afford it, and that is a feeling many fashion enthusiasts live for.
Additionally, Loewe doesn’t just label high price tags on its items; they are worth the price and more. The brand is particularly conscious about the quality of the materials it uses in making its items. While it is not as popular as Louis Vuitton or Dior, it is also a brand that stands out in quality.
Is Loewe a Sustainable Brand?
Loewe did not start as a sustainable brand, but it is working towards it. For instance, the materials the brand uses in making its items are sustainable and more expensive than non-sustainable materials. The sustainability of its items also contributes to their high prices because the production process takes time and effort. The materials must first be produced and processed before they can be manufactured using new technologies.
Loewe is one of the few brands making conscious efforts toward becoming more sustainable. These efforts are highly effective, but they don’t come cheap – and Loewe works to implement all these motivations. Some of those efforts include:
- Working with only socially and environmentally conscious suppliers to help limit the brand’s environmental impact.
- The launch of its new Nature collection; it works as a lab for sustainable practices, reducing CO2 emissions by 25%.
- Sourcing leather from LWG-certified tanneries; LWG (Leather Working Group) is an international organization that evaluates the industry’s environmental compliance and implementation.
- LEED lighting in stores, offices, and sites, as well as energy-efficient air conditioners, thus reducing CO2 emissions.
- The launch of the Surplus Project; it re-thinks and reuses previously used materials to create new and unique items with lower environmental impact.
- Donating sales proceeds from several limited editions of mini elephant bags to ensure a more secure future for elephants.
- Environment-friendly packaging to reduce the brand’s impact on the environment – like using foldable shoe boxes and reducing packing.
A Brief History of the Loewe Brand
A group of Spanish leather craftsmen founded Loewe in 1846, but it only became well-known in 1876 when Enrique Loewe Roessberg joined them. Enrique Loewe was a German craftsman; he was granted the title “Purveyor of the Royal Court” by King Alfonso XIII. About a century later, in the 1970s, Loewe ventured into perfumes and fashion and carried the Loewe anagram logo.
LVMH bought the rights to the brand’s international distribution in 1986 and acquired Loewe completely in 1996. The Loewe brand became one of LVMH’s smallest; it had sales of about 200 million dollars that year. Narciso Rodriguez joined the company in 1997 as the creative director; Loewe had its first Paris runway presentation a year after. Rodriguez served until 2000, when Jose Enrique Ona Selfa took over, and then Stuart Vevers from 2008 to 2013.
Under Stuart Vevers’ leadership, the brand concentrated on leather apparel, handbags, and gift businesses with leather boxes and picture frames. In 2013, Vevers left the brand, and Jonathan Anderson became the new creative director and still is. Meanwhile, the Loewe Company is still based in Spain, producing leather goods in particular in Barcelona and Getafe.
Are Loewe Bags Any Good?
Loewe bags are very popular on the market, particularly among women. Some of the brand’s most iconic and popular bags include the Amazona, Puzzle, and Flamenco bags. While its bags are not as popular on the market as Louis Vuitton’s, it also has uniquely-designed handbags with impressive aesthetics. One Loewe handbag has enough charm to become the most used handbag in your closet.
Meanwhile, Loewe bags are expensive, but that’s only because of the leather quality used in making them. The cost and process of production are also two reasons why the bags are that expensive. Furthermore, Loewe handbags are incredibly durable, owing to the materials used, which include lambskin, calfskin, nubuck, and goatskin.
Plus, Loewe is making a name for itself by becoming one of the biggest designer bags. Loewe is positioning itself to compete with the likes of Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Chanel on the market.
Conclusion
Loewe is a luxury brand because it offers exclusivity and status, two qualities that characterize a luxury brand. Also, Loewe is considered a luxury because only the elite, wealthy few can afford to buy Loewe items. Furthermore, it belongs to the luxury French Conglomerate, LVMH, a group full of luxury labels. Meanwhile, regarding quality, durability, style, and class, Loewe is one of the leading brands in the industry.