The Studio Ghibli classic is brought to life via luxury, artisanal techniques and smile-inducing bags.
Even if you don’t dig anime, if you’re oblivious when it comes to Doraemon or Detective Conan – we’d bet our final fiver that you’ve heard of Spirited Away. The second highest-grossing anime film of all time, it’s a stone-cold classic in the genre, reaching mainstream appeal thanks to its dreamy sequences and beautiful hand-drawn visuals. Now over twenty years since it first hit screens worldwide, luxury house Loewe has rendered its iconic motifs into a standout collection, and we’re smitten.
Unlike swathes of movie-crossover capsules, the ensemble is extensive and meticulously conceived, spanning over a hundred pieces that takes you from top to toe, pocket-to-pocket, hand-to-hand; basically everything you could imagine. We’ll start with the sweaters; embroidered, textured and featuring 3D motifs, they’re chunky, luxury eye-poppers, featuring intarsia designs of Chihiro, Bô and Yu-Bird.
Elsewhere, tees mix the Loewe lockup with the film’s graphics, from a Haku all-over print to a Kaonashi design that runs to the hem. Slouchy, heavy hoodies provide more casual, watching-anime-at-home moments, while the collection’s most expensive piece, the Kaonashi Biker Jacket in Nappa, impresses with its punky print. You might just have to take out a few overdrafts to afford it, though (clue: you’d have to grab a fiver from every Vatican City citizen to pay for it).
For us, though, it’s the accessories that shine. Put aside thoughts of cheap metal keyrings and sad-looking scarves; the collaboration is abound with high-quality, imaginative pieces. We love the Boro bucket hat, splicing together textile and calfskin; the Aogaeru Mini Flamenco Clutch, extending the frog’s arms into the drawstring fastening; gorgeous Kaonashi Bracelet Pouch and the dazzling Haku Fleece Blanket. These have all been captured by (in)famous lensman Juergen Teller, for a typically JT campaign featuring raw, stripped-back portraits that look like they were cobbled together at a moment’s notice. Hey, the photography might not be to everyone’s taste, but the 3D-filled collection remains mega; a pop-up love letter to one of the films of the millenia so far.
The Loewe x Spirited Away collection is available now, here. Go stress out your wallet.
