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A History of the Best Loewe Bags
Before one dives into the history of Loewe handbags, one must first understand how the Spanish heritage brand wound up with a very German name. (We know you know, but in case you don’t, the e’s are both hard and the w is pronounced like a v.) A member of LVMH’s impressive roster of luxury brands, Loewe is, in fact, the oldest of them all. Founded in 1846, the label began as a collective of artisans crafting leather and suede goods in a workshop on Madrid’s Lobo Street.
The Loewe Loewe Handbags to Shop Now
- The Paseo - debuted at Spring/Summer 2023, starts at $2,900
- The Flamenco - debuted in the 1970s, relaunched in 2010, starts at $1,990
- The Goya - debuted at Fall 2021, starts at $3,500
- The Amazona - debuted in 1975, relaunched in 2021, starts at $2,700
- The Puzzle - debuted at Men’s Spring/Summer 2015, starts at $2,300
- The Gate - debuted at Spring/Summer 2018, starts at $1,990
- The Basket - debuted at Spring/Summer 2017, starts at $550
Spain has a long history of leather-making, dating past even the work of the Moors in southern Spain in the 8th century when Cordovan horse leather was highly sought and prized. But it was only after an immigrant applied a bit of Germanic business pragmatism to the Spanish artisan collective that the group became a brand. The year was 1872 when Enrique Loewe Roessberg gave his name (which translates to “lion”) to the label. By 1905, Loewe had earned the privilege of being an “official supplier to the Spanish Royal Crown.”
The brand maintained its status as a luxury leather maker, and by the middle of the century, Loewe bags could be seen on the likes of Ava Gardner during a visit to Spain with her then-husband Frank Sinatra. In 1965, Loewe introduced its first ready-to-wear collection, and five years later, the brand enlisted Spanish artist Vicente Vela to develop a logo—the famed anagram of four scrolling L’s still in use today. Along the way, Karl Lagerfeld spent time at the label, as did Giorgio Armani and Laura Biagiotti.
But Loewe It bags—fixtures on the arms of It girls and boys the world over—have had much do with LVMH, which acquired Loewe in 1996. Narciso Rodriguez, José Enrique Oña Selfa, and Stuart Vevers all took turns as the brand’s creative director, but it wasn’t until a then-29-year old Jonathan Anderson joined the brand in 2013 that Loewe bags really became iconic.
Anderson gave us the Puzzle bag, the Gate bag, and a celebrated high-fashion appropriation of the humble market tote. The look of all these accessories upholds the historic brand’s dedication to craft above all else. Sure, they can come shaped like an elephant, but the quality of the leather is unmatched. Determinedly untrendy, Loewe handbags are meant to be carried indefinitely, and below, we’ve rounded up some of the most memorable.
The Paseo
At Loewe’s spring/summer 2023 collection, bags festooned with blooms of glossy anthurium flowers walked the runways. While the flowers were a theme of the collection, they weren’t actually a part of the bags themselves. Called the Paseo, the accessory is the newest addition to the storied oeuvre of Loewe handbags. The latest bag from creative director Jonathan Anderson, the Paseo winks to the Flamenco (more on that below) and is crafted with supple nappa calfskin leather; it’s shaped so that it’s longer than it is deep and comes with a knotted tubular leather or chain strap. Shapes are small and large and tote-shaped.
The Flamenco
Though the Flamenco pouch appears utterly modern, it was actually launched in the 1970s. Fast forward to 2010, the bag was reprised by Vevers, who decorated the drawstring pulls with tassels; Anderson’s take features knots and an embossed Anagram logo. The accessory is wonderful unadorned and thus serves as a blank canvas that showcases color wonderfully on the nappa calfskin body. At the moment, the prettiest pastels—from a quartzy mauve to an ice cream mint hue—are on offer, and should you want a little more “Loewe” on your bag, you can opt for a cross-body strap emblazoned with the house’s name. Sizes include mini, regular, and large. And because Loewe has thought of everything, there’s a magnetic close in addition to the drawstrings.
The Goya
The Goya came onto the scene at Loewe’s Fall 2021 show—the closest thing the label had to a classic flap bag—and captured hearts instantly. A steady favorite of the brand, The Goya has been most recently remixed with puffed-up iterations and even versions crafted in novel nylons and denims. We particularly like a woven version that exemplifies the craftsmanship of the house. Depending on the shape, The Goya comes in a leather or chain strap and there are three sizes from which to choose.
Amazona
With two top handles and an elegantly rectangular frame reminiscent of a doctor’s bag, the Amazona was envisioned as an accessory to accompany the burgeoning female workforce to the office in the 1970s. (Its simple construction is designed both to exhibit the materials and craftsmanship of the bag and to reiterate that the Loewe woman meant business.) The bag debuted in 1975 but was reintroduced to the repertory by Anderson at the fall 2021 show—pegged to the 175th anniversary of Loewe. In the corner of the bag, you’ll find an embossed Loewe logo, plus a fully functioning mini-padlock and key. The bag, which has been an icon of the house of Loewe for decades, comes in a variety of shapes and colorways—and all-leather or an Anagram canvas body. Sizes—16, 15, 19, 23, in either square or rectangular shapes—correspond to the bag’s width in centimeters. But no matter how you do the math, it all comes out chic!
The Puzzle
Just about a year into his appointment, Anderson added a significant handbag to the Loewe repertoire, one that gave the skills of the label’s craftspeople an especially fine showcase. Enter the Puzzle bag, which was first seen at the men’s spring 2015 show in Paris; at Anderson’s Loewe, handbags are for everyone. Like all Loewe bags, the Puzzle is handcrafted in Madrid, with approximately nine pieces of leather precisely patchworked together. (The process takes an estimated nine hours.) Available in calfskin, pebbled calfskin, and goatskin in regular, small, mini, and nano sizes, the bag didn’t take long before turning up on all the chicest influencers and culture-makers; head to a fashion show, gallery opening, or in-the-know cocktail party, and you’re bound to spot a piece of the Puzzle.
The Gate
On the models that walked down Loewe’s spring 2018 runway were saddle-shaped handbags seemingly headed straight for It-bag status. Dubbed the Gate because a metallic hinge keeps the leather latch in place, the bag is beloved for its quiet brilliance. It’s no look-at-me bag—and that’s exactly by design. Iterations range from all-leather or leather and baskets, and come in a variety of hues; there is every neutral a heart could desire (putty-colored clay to toffee-colored brown), and there are even dual-tones bags for the shopper who just can’t decide.
The Basket
This utterly irresistible addition to the Loewe oeuvre debuted at the spring 2017 womenswear show, and the world hasn’t been the same since. Anderson gave us an elevated take on the humble woven palm-leaf market bag, and had the tact to price it accordingly. That’s not to say that the bag doesn’t follow Anderson’s craft-is-cool M.O.; it’s handwoven in Spain and uses the label’s fine leather as trim. Yet the real beauty of this bag lies in its embrace of good design—if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and that’s precisely what Anderson did (or, rather, didn’t do). There’s no need to reinvent the wheel here; Loewe’s basket bag does everything it should, and best of all, it comes in a variety of colors and sizes, so there is absolutely no reason not to wear it all year round. Because of the bag’s unbridled popularity, it’s a fashion fact that you’re never too far away from your next encounter with a Loewe Basket bag—and unlike other It items, this only makes the bag that much more great.
