Since 2017, Loewe has delivered the spirit of summer via its capsule collections with Paula’s Ibiza, an iconic boutique in the Balearic Islands that reached its heyday in the 1970s. While the physical shop is no longer in existence, its vibrant, psychedelic legacy lives on thanks to Loewe and creative director Jonathan Anderson. For summer 2020, Loewe’s collaboration with Paula’s Ibiza returns with a collection of men’s and women’s ready-to-wear featuring archival prints inspired by the natural world and nautical elements.
Accompanying the collection, which launched this week, is a full accessories line that uses handcrafted techniques and natural materials.
“I’ve always said Paula’s Ibiza embodies the spirit of letting go,” Anderson said. “In this collection, that ecstatic abandon is totalizing: part rave, part cyberdog, in acidic neons, faded olive greens and borderline hues of scarlet, sunrise orange, and midnight blue. There is an escapism in rave culture, which germinated here, that I find very timely and I wanted to explore. The collection is a visual feast.”
Anderson revealed that he scoured the boutique’s archives to help bring this particular collection to life.
“Paula’s founders, Armin Heinemann and Stuart Rudnick, created iconic prints inspired by the natural world,” he said. “I pillaged from this kaleidoscopic archive so that the collection features quite a few of these patterns. Shape and print enhance one another: Mermaids swim amongst red corals on maxi dresses and long robes with ruffled sleeves. Jikin goldfish wander amongst waterlilies on wide-hemmed capri pants, bolero skirts, and swimwear.”
New to this collaboration is a limited edition unisex fragrance — aptly called Paula’s Ibiza — a floral, aqueous, and ambery eau de toilette created by Loewe’s in-house perfumer Nuria Cruelles. To coincide with the release, the brand also partnered with photographer Gray Sorrenti on a photo book with images of the collection shot in New Delhi, India.
To help socially vulnerable groups affected by COVID-19, Loewe will donate 40 euros to educational projects for every product sold from the Paula’s Ibiza collection between May and August 2020 (in Loewe stores and online), beginning with an initial donation of 500,000 euros.
