{NM Daily}

Loewe’s Stuart Vevers: Englishman in Madrid

Before he became Loewe’s creative director in 2008, Stuart Vevers was design director at Mulberry, where he played a key role in revitalizing the stodgy English brand and earned a British Fashion Award. Before that, he designed accessories for Givenchy—where he created the hit Pumpkin—as well as Louis Vuitton under Marc Jacobs, Luella Bartley, Bottega Veneta and Calvin Klein. Madrid, where 165-year-old Loewe is based, is a world apart from Carlisle, Vevers’ hometown in the North of England. (He needed Spanish lessons.)  But the opportunity to work with Loewe’s artisans, explore its heritage and chart its future clearly suits him.

A limited number of Loewe’s Lia and Amazona bags are available at Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills, where Vevers will appear September 8. See our “Lovely Loewe” Facebook tab for more details. 

NMdaily: How do you think growing up in England shaped your aesthetic?

Stuart Vevers: The North is quite working class and hard working; it has this whole history. I definitely have some of those traits. I like things straightforward. I like strong clear messages. My work isn’t very conceptual. I tend not to overthink it.

NM: What did you learn from your past experience as creative director of Mulberry?

SV: It was a big learning curve, since it was the first time I was in that position [of leadership]. The process of brand rejuvenation was a big part of what I learned. Taking something that had fallen by the wayside in terms of relevance, and making it mean something again.

NM: What are the hallmarks of Loewe style?

SV: Leather is the most important thing. It’s quite unusual for a company with so much history to have been so focused on one thing.  That’s the know-how it has today, generations of that. Another really important thing is the provenance of the brand, Spain. We have lots in common with our European cousins, but it’s different—different references, cultural events. All that contributes massively to the uniqueness of the brand. It’s the only brand at this level from Spain.

NM: How do you balance the heritage with the demands to present something new?

SV: Heritage is always where I start but everything I do has to have relevance for today. Knowing how far to push things is really important. You’ve got to take some risks. The team at Loewe is quite young, one of the youngest I’ve worked with, and a lot of the contemporary elements come from them. It’s an attitude. That’s balanced with the experience of the artisans and the people who source the leather. They have tons of experience—30, 40 years for some of them. It makes a really dynamic balance. They work well off each other.

NM: You’re very involved in collaborating with top photographers, stylists and models to execute innovative advertising campaigns.  The last few seasons were remarkable.

SV: Thank you. It’s been a process of finding a language to express ourselves through photography. Because the values of the brand are hard to express in a photo: How leather feels to touch. The passion of the country we’re in. Quality of craftsmanship. That’s not easy to get across. Generally I’m a big fan of collaboration. I love to work with people and be challenged by people. We’ve done fantastic projects with artists—Katie Hillier, Julie Verhoeven, Jose Hernandez.

NM: If the opportunity were there, who would you like to collaborate with?

SV: Someone who has a really interesting connection to the house, like Penelope Cruz because she’s probably the most famous Spanish woman in the world and she’s worked with Pedro Almodovar. Or I’d like to work with Mr. Almodovar!

NM: How does Spain inspire you?

SV: It’s definitely the stories of the country, the architecture. I did a fantastic trip to Cordoba and Granada and the Alhambra and it’s just amazing.  The obvious places can be really inspiring to a foreigner. Madrid has a huge impact. The way people live is very different. It’s super social; people go out all the time; they go out very late. It’s quite a party city, which I didn’t expect.

NM: Can you describe street style in Madrid?

SV: It’s quite polarized. It’s quite a dressed up look, quite bold though—colorful, prints, bright colors. The light here is so strong and the general complexion of people just suits color in a way I never knew in the North of England. Loewe is a very colorful brand. Our leathers come in myriad colors and very bright colors. There’s a noble, aristocratic, pulled-together grownup. Then there’s a younger street style which is quite drawn from that. The sweater over the shoulder with white jeans. They’ll add a battered sneaker or loafer. There are very good looking people here.

NM: What are you most proud of achieving at the house of Loewe?

SV: I think it’s refocusing the brand on what its best at. Being focused on the mastery of leather. It’s a refocus rather than a change of direction. And then making it more relevant in many ways. Being more playful and creative and taking some more risks. People now get to see style leaders and celebrities, people they admire, wearing Loewe all the time now.