For its advertising campaign for autumn/winter 2016, Loewe’s strong, sensual, passionate imagery features Spanish male model Andrés Velencoso. This season the visuals presented provide a gentler, more intimate context for Loewe’s ready to wear and leather accessories. Velencoso is pictured in the hotel room wearing Loewe's Amazona Weekender in Black and Loewe's Amazona Weekender bag in 'Oro' and Brown.
The campaign was shot in the Ritz Hotel in Madrid, a century-old landmark where the Hollywood star Ava Gardner would drink with Ernest Hemingway in the Fifties and Sixties, after making the city her home. Her rock and roll antics at the Ritz have since become part of local mythology. Both she and Hemingway were Loewe customers, a natural connection to the house that the creative team behind the campaign was keen to explore.
Shooting the campaign were Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, who have demonstrated their instinct for narrative in fashion photography with a series of images that read like stills from a glamorous movie. Working alongside Mert and Marcus were their trusted collaborators Paul Hanlon and Lucia Pieroni on hair and make-up respectively.
Introducing a sense of intrigue around the relationship between Velencoso’s character and that of the female model, Mariacarla: both are seen in the same hotel room, but never at the same time. The use of motion blur around the lamps draws attention to the presence of a watching eye, giving the campaign a voyeuristic edge.
The art director of the campaign was stylist and Editor Katie Grand. “We felt it was really important that it took place somewhere iconically Spanish,” she says. “We had considered shooting on the southern coast, but the shoot was scheduled for March – not the best time for the beach. Once we’d decided on the Ritz we moved heaven and earth to make it happen; it was the perfect location, what with its glamorous history and its connection to Loewe.”
About Loewe
Established in 1846, Loewe represents Spanish luxury, specializing in leather goods, ready-to-wear, bags, accessories and fragrance.
In 1996 the company joined LVMH, the world’s leading luxury goods group. Today Loewe is a key player in 34 countries with over 160 stores worldwide and headquarters in Madrid.
Photo & text Copyright Loewe.