Beyoncé’s line “I woke up like this” in Flawless spread like wildfire over the Internet, which quickly turned it into a meme – mostly about how ‘unflawless’ most of us wake up. And it’s precisely about Internet culture and getting dressed in a hurry that the new Loewe Fall/Winter 2024 collection for men speaks about. As usual, Jonathan Anderson delivered a brilliant collection that reflects on contemporary issues. And this time around, he also collaborated with American artist Richard Hawkin.
On his review, fast-rising fashion commenter Lyas says that “there is no more American dream, now it is about the Internet dream, where everything mixes and blends.” And surely enough, Jonathan Anderson’s latest collection for Loewe was a big, bright and beautiful melting pot of rich knit jumpers and cardigans mixed with tracksuit pants, formal suits paired with sneakers, untied belts, half-tucked shirts, socks over pants, and floor-length knit dresses that could easily be anyone’s uniform for an entire winter. Not to speak of some of the models’ beauty looks: messy hair (don’t care) or baggy eyes (which actually trended among Gen Z on TikTok for a while).
Despite the informal and ironic take on the menswear wardrobe, of course the collection also featured pieces that embody Loewe’s rich savoir-faire and attention to detail. For example, the two opening looks, a couple of rickly textured deep green and bright orange leather trench coats. And true to the House’s heritage, the rest of the leather pieces too: pants, a skirt, long hoodie dresses, a jumpsuit, coats, and jackets.
The fruitful collaboration between Jonathan Anderson and Richard Hawkin has translated into several colourful pieces featuring the American artist’s collage work. It’s become a print, jacquard on knit (we’re personally obsessed with the two long dresses), embroidery on oversized Squeeze bags, and embellishments on the Puzzle Fold tote like embroidery, leather marquetery, glass studs and fringes. In addition, some of his artworks decorated the runway venue, which resembled the typical white cube style of an art gallery. which strengthened the House’s relationship with art and the powerful message of this collaboration. As the press release reads, “Richard Hawkins has indulged his fascination for the male body, mining the aesthetic, literary and philosophical mythologies that underpin its representation in everything from art history to paparazzi shots and social media content,” adding that his “collision of disparate imagery long foreshadowed the constant online stream of disparate images we are now seduced by daily.”
