In conversation with the editor sitting next to me before Loewe’s Fall/Winter 2026 show started, we reminisced on the location. Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez stage the collection in the Château de Vincennes. It’s not the first time the fortress on the outskirts of Paris has been used as a playground for a Loewe show. Last time was Jonathan Anderson’s last formal show.
Loewe is a funny brand to lead. Unlike many of its chronological counterparts – the house was founded in 1846 in Madrid – its visual vocabulary is mostly contemporary. Of course, you have its historic staples: its leather work, for one. But most of its lexicon was built over Anderson’s decade-long tenure. Its sense of textural play and silhouette experimentation are products of it. Much like the venue we’re sitting in, McCollough and Hernandez revisit these ideas, utilising them to expand the legacy beyond its known borders.
The collection opened with just that: an exercise in evolution. A 3D-printed latex dress emulates a knitted texture, complete with a dainty bow in its décolletage. The same effect was later translated into “jumpers.” Aggressively yellow and green coats with rounded shoulders shared a similar technique. Material experimentation wasn’t a means to an end but the language the American duo found to continue writing the brand’s history.
Even in the short period of two seasons, the designers have proved themselves capable of building on concepts. Last season’s characteristic swoops of fabric that cascaded down the sides of short dresses were made furry, draped around the models’ bodies, starting at the neck. Similar drapes showed up in long, voluminous leather coats, opened on the side as if the fabric simply unstitches itself, revealing its fuzzy interior.
There was a constant sense of whimsy throughout the show, down to its venue that already had some of its seats occupied long before the first guest showed up. Giant plush animals made by the artist Cosima von Bonin contrasted their deep petroleum blue against the floor’s bright yellow. From hanging bunnies in Loewe’s new it bag, the reissued Amazona, to inflatable scarves tied in a knot, there was a charismatic sense of humour. Even in its most functional looks, colour and texture were used to charm. A fluffy purple turtleneck primes a checkered jacket and yellow shiny trousers. And even though this approach was shared between male and female looks, this was the duo’s first foray into menswear in their career before they present their first men’s show in just three months. After such a strong teaser, June suddenly feels far too far away.
Words by Pedro Vasconcelos
