McCollough and Hernandez embrace Anderson's legacy in their debut for Loewe

Continuity and heritage. These two terms best summarise the new path Spanish brand Loewe has begun to tread, following the departure of Jonathan Anderson and the arrival of the duo Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez as the new creative directors of the Spanish fashion house. This marks a new chapter in its nearly 200-year history. The North Americans made their first entry this Friday, presenting their debut collection for the house during Paris Fashion Week.

A highly anticipated highlight of this Paris Fashion Week, the show was the second scheduled for the fifth day of the official calendar. McCollough and Hernandez debuted as Loewe's new creative directors, presenting their new womenswear collection for the spring/summer 2026 season. The proposal follows the path Anderson chose when he took over as creative director of Loewe in September 2013, seeking to offer a contemporary reinterpretation of the brand's historic legacy. This legacy is deeply rooted in its origins as a Spanish house, extending to recent years when it was revisited and recontextualised by the British designer, who is now the creative director of Dior. McCollough and Hernandez have embraced this most recent part of its heritage. In doing so, they have assimilated not only the brand's origins but also Anderson's reconstruction of its codes, beginning to shape the new Loewe.

With this intention, the first thing to highlight is the subtlety and skill with which McCollough and Hernandez have approached Anderson's work during his years at Loewe. This collection has demonstrated in Paris today that the American creatives were the right choice for the succession. Loewe had developed its own powerful and visually interesting language, appealing to loyal fans of the brand and fine fashion. There was a risk this climax could be lost after the necessary change in creative direction. However, it is now clear that McCollough and Hernandez are in complete harmony with the style and profile the brand has cultivated in recent years. So much so, that it would be difficult to find a piece that Anderson himself might not have designed for Loewe, despite the subtle touches of the American creatives. This clear aesthetic continuity is expected to evolve season by season. McCollough and Hernandez will likely gradually establish their own direction as they continue to develop Loewe's vision from their unique perspectives.

“Joining Loewe means embracing codes forged over more than 180 years of history, defined above all by a long-standing commitment to craftsmanship and its Spanish identity,” stated McCollough and Hernandez in a statement released by the Spanish fashion house. As the new creative directors, “our task is to advance this spirit, interpreting it through our personal vision.” The creatives ask themselves, “How do we redefine craftsmanship today? How far can the expression of the handmade be taken before even the trace of its creation disappears? What does Spanishness mean in 2025, freed from the weight of history, but respectful of it?”

Answering the questions they faced when taking the reins at Loewe, they state, “for us, creativity is the only possible way” to find answers. Creativity is therefore a tool to “confront these questions with rigour, courage and a coherent personal vision.” This creativity “must remain intimate, but connected to a broader cultural narrative.” They add, “at Loewe, we have the freedom to explore and experiment, supported by a unique culture of creation and materiality that is expressive, vital and deeply linked to art and culture.”

Light, colour and sensuality

Focusing on this debut collection, a manifesto collection around which they have sought to summarise all the principles they will develop as Loewe's new creative directors, we first encounter the work ‘Yellow Panel with Red Curve (1989)’ by American artist Ellsworth Kelly. McCollough and Hernandez point to this work as synthesising all the qualities they identify with Loewe. They aim to exalt these as its most distinctive codes, through their association with principles such as the fluidity and sensuality of lines, the light and materiality of silhouettes, and the intensity of colour. These intentions were particularly clear in the opening look of the show, a perfect reinterpretation of Kelly's work.

Starting with the last point mentioned, this collection is built on an intense CMYK colour palette, comparable to printer cartridges. From these tones, the colour symphony opens up to more magical shades like mint greens, coral oranges, and a striking shocking pink.

Building on these colour tones and a floral print seen in previous seasons, the Loewe collection presents a wide range of silhouettes. McCollough and Hernandez reinterpret some of the most striking patterns from the Anderson era. Notable are the new and multiple versions of towel dresses, baby doll dresses, and breastplate dresses. The new creative directors not only revisit these but also present them in the form of a sculptural jacket. Garments crafted from various types of leather stand out again, a material that is once more showcased as the brand's own in this collection. The collection also highlights silhouettes and materials from streetwear and sportswear. McCollough and Hernandez also reinterpret and adopt this aesthetic through jeans; polos; parkas; anoraks; and tank tops. These are key pieces in the collection, alongside particularly eye-catching deconstructed dresses and accessories like the new Loewe ‘Amazona 180’ bag.

“The collection uses a visual language of clean, sometimes sculptural forms and an elemental palette, inspired by sportswear archetypes and often expressed through leather craftsmanship,” McCollough and Hernandez elaborate. “These forms come to life with a sensuality and fervour that reinvent Loewe's heritage.” They note that “Ellsworth Kelly's work ‘Yellow Panel with Red Curve (1989)’ best synthesises these elements into a single object.” “It holds a verve and a tactile quality that are fundamental to the house, as well as a chromatic intensity and sensuality that seem inherent to its Spanish roots. Ultimately, it represents an optimism and a spirit with which we deeply identify,” serving as “a starting point, a prelude to what is to come.”