So, I was reading the news a while back, and it popped up – Loewe got new creative directors. You know, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. They were taking over from Jonathan Anderson. That piece of news just stuck in my head, got me thinking, really.
My First Steps into Loewe’s World
I couldn’t just let it go. I started digging around a bit. First, I looked back at what Jonathan Anderson had been doing all those years. His style, the whole aesthetic he built for Loewe. It’s pretty iconic, right? That mix of craft and something a bit… offbeat. Then, I tried to picture what these new guys, McCollough and Hernandez, might bring. It felt like a big deal, a potential shift for the brand. I mean, Proenza Schouler has a very different vibe, so I was curious how they’d approach Loewe.
I really wanted to understand what being an art director for a brand like Loewe would even feel like. So, I decided to spend a day, just for myself, kind of role-playing it. My own little creative project, you could say.
Diving Deep: The Practice Session
Okay, so the first thing I did was just immerse myself. I pulled up Loewe’s website, tons of their past campaigns, lookbooks, even runway shows. I spent a good couple of hours just looking, trying to absorb the visual language. The textures, the colors, the way they photograph their products – especially those bags!
Then, I got out a big old sketchbook and some pens. I wasn’t trying to design clothes or anything, not my area of expertise. My goal was to think about the overall visual direction. If I were the art director, what story would I want to tell next? What would be the mood for the next campaign?
- I thought about photographers – who would capture that Loewe essence?
- I jotted down ideas for locations – something natural, or super architectural?
- I even considered the casting – what kind of faces, what kind of personalities?
- And the overall message – what should people feel when they see Loewe?
I sketched out some rough concepts for ad layouts. Tried to imagine how they’d look in a magazine or on a billboard. I even started thinking about the tone of voice for social media. It was quite intense, actually. I tried to channel what I thought these new directors might be thinking, trying to blend that Proenza Schouler sharpness with Loewe’s more artisanal, sometimes whimsical, feel. I ended up with a bunch of notes and scribbles, basically a mini-concept for an imaginary campaign. It was surprisingly hard work, but also really fun.
So, Why Did I Do All This?
Now, you might be wondering why on earth I’d spend a whole day doing this. It’s not like Loewe called me up, ha! Well, the truth is, I was stuck at my apartment. I’d caught a nasty flu, one of those where you can’t really focus on your usual work, your head’s all fuzzy, but you’re also too restless to just lie in bed all day.
I was scrolling through my phone, feeling miserable, and that article about Loewe’s new creative directors popped up. And it was like a switch flipped. Instead of just zoning out watching TV, I thought, “Hey, let’s do something creative. Let’s make this ‘down time’ interesting.” It was a way to keep my brain engaged without the pressure of actual deadlines. A sort of creative exercise, fueled by fever and a lot of tea. My living room became my imaginary Loewe office for the day. My cat was probably my assistant, mostly by sleeping on my notes.
What I Took Away
At the end of the day, did I create the next award-winning Loewe campaign? Absolutely not. My sketches are probably a bit wild, a bit out there. But that wasn’t the point. The real takeaway for me was how much thinking goes into that role. Being an art director isn’t just about making things look pretty. It’s about understanding a brand’s soul, its history, and then figuring out how to move it forward, how to tell its story in a fresh way. It’s a massive responsibility.
It was a really good exercise, even if it was just for me. It kind of demystified the role a bit, but also made me respect it even more. And honestly, it was way more productive than just feeling sorry for myself with the flu. Sometimes, the best ideas, or at least the most interesting experiments, come when you least expect them, right? Who knew being sick could lead to a pretend day as a high-fashion art director!
