LOEWE’S Crafted World exhibition opens at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre, as a celebration of the brand’s rich history, Spanish heritage, and commitment to handmade craftsmanship.

The exhibition is an interactive journey through time, space, material, and craft filled with art and culture and imbued with LOEWE’s idiosyncratic sense of fun. Being LOEWE’s first public exhibition, Crafted World was curated by its creative director Jonathan Anderson as “an homage to all the craftspeople around the world that have dedicated their lives to the handmade.” The Crafted World exhibition invites visitors to immerse themselves in iconic designs and cultural collaborations that have illuminated LOEWE’s evolution from its founding as a leather-making collective in Madrid in 1846 to becoming one of the world’s leading luxury fashion houses.

Covering LOEWE’s 178-year history of creativity, innovation, and excellence in craft, the exhibition celebrates the craft and artistic developments and techniques that have been passed down for generations. It starts with the house’s origins in the 19th century with the appointment of the official supplier to the Spanish Royal Family, the acquisition by LVMH in the 20th century, and to the opening of its first store in Shanghai, China, in the 21st century. All of this together has long been supported by the LOEWE Foundation, the annual LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize, and LOEWE’s many collaborations with artisans around the world.

It is a story that transports the audience to the sights and sounds of Spain and behind the scenes of the atelier and the many steps needed to bring a design to life. Crafted World recreates the feeling of a runway show in a room showcasing a series of looks from Jonathan Anderson’s tenure as creative director, presents a multimedia survey of the house’s support for crafts around the world, and reaches its climax in a series of nine spectacular, interactive rooms that bring the audience inside of the artworks and the visionary worlds that have inspired LOEWE’s collaborations from the past decade.

Designed in collaboration with OMA, the studio behind some of the most ground-breaking buildings of the 21st century, Crafted World unfolds over 1,600 square metres and the courtyard of the Shanghai Exhibition Centre and features plenty of surprises along the way. These include super-sized leather sculptures, an ascending ‘pronunciation tunnel’ designed to help show how to say “LO-EV-EH”, a series of knee-high exhibits for children to interact with, and a moving, suspended flower garden set inside an infinite hall of mirrors, to name just a few. The exhibition is curated around six thematic chapters showcasing the house’s progressive approach to fashion and the culture of craft: Born from the Hand, Welcome to Spain, The Atelier, Fashion Without Limits, United in Craft, and Unexpected Dialogues.

Crafted World runs from 22 March to 5 May 2024 before travelling worldwide. The exhibition is open to the public, and entrance is free.