As we continue to search for a "new normal" in our coronavirus ravaged reality, we're finding bright sparks of creativity on a distant horizon.
The latest moment to inspire us has come in the form of Loewe's wonderful show-in-a-box. As many brands turn to live stream and virtual runway shows (which are very much enjoying), this House looked for a new and innovative way to share its story.
The show-in-a-box activation comes in celebration of Loewe's spring/summer 2021 menswear collection. This designer managed to create a way for viewers to still have a highly personal and tactile experience with its collection - while still maintaining our distance.
Quite literally a show in a box, a classic archive-style box arrives, embossed with the signature Loewe motif. Lift open the flap to reveal internal dividers which hold the contents of the show. It opens with s latter from Jonathan Anderson, creative director at Loewe, and an inspirational booklet.
The key looks and bags are all there in boxed form with a 360 degree view, including bird’s eye. The full lookbooks of both men’s collection and women’s pre-collections are printed in paper blocks. From here, it's a real sensorial experience. The sunglasses are sweetly printed perforated paper for your to pop out and try on. Shoes are photographed as postcards. Real fabric swatches given content to look and feel of the clothing.
There is even a portable cardboard record player, which allows reproduction of the soundtrack, registered at the LOEWE Getafe Factory with voiceover by Dr James Fox. The show-in-a-box experience was expanded by accompanying digital content that can be accessed on the Loewe Instagram account and also the House's new website. All of these parts worked together to tell Loewe's spring summer story of curves, swings and loops that skew the hard edge.
The show-in-a-box offers a unique moment in space and time. It's a time capsule inviting the viewer to a new version of tactility - something that has been so severely erased by the inability to meet in real life.
It translates the peculiar language of the fashion show into another realm, opening a wealth of possibilities for the future.
The idea of the show-in-a-box, came from inspiration drawn from Marcel Duchamp’s Museum in a Box - an example of an ambitious and portable solution that still offers viewers a holistic experience.
Loewe's uniquely inspiring solution to the impossibility of an IRL runway show is one that we'll hold dear. It's a clear sign that we can still find moments of connection, togetherness and creativity, even if the prospect physically meeting is still a long way off.
