Puzzle
Handbag
2017 (designed)
2017 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Jonathan Anderson (b.1984) designed the Puzzle bag for Loewe in 2015. It has quickly become one of Loewe’s most recognisable designs. Loewe released this version, printed with William Morris’s ‘Strawberry Thief’ pattern, in 2017.
The maker
Loewe is a Spanish luxury brand specialising in leather goods. It was founded in Madrid in 1846 by a group of leather craftsmen. It was not until 1872 when a German, Enrique Loewe Rossenberg, joined the group that the brand was fully established and Loewe became known for its precision, technical excellence and exquisite craftmanship. They were appointed Official Supplier to the Spanish Royal Crown in 1905. In 1965, following their success selling leather goods, Loewe expanded into the ready-to-wear clothing market, although they remain best known for their leather bags.
Today, Loewe is owned by the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton group who bought the house in 1996. In 2013 Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson was appointed as the new Creative Director. Anderson studied at London College of Fashion and started his career in fashion as a visual merchandiser for Prada. He founded his fashion label JW Anderson in 2008 and is known for designs which mix the traditional and the avant-garde. Anderson’s first collection for Loewe was released in 2014 to popular acclaim in the fashion press.
The bag
In 2015 Anderson released his first bag design for Loewe, called Puzzle. Following its release, the Puzzle bag quickly became the ‘It’ bag of the season with Elle magazine calling it ‘the industry's favourite handbag’. In November 2017 Loewe released a capsule collection inspired by the work of nineteenth-century textile designer and writer William Morris. The collection was based around four Morris designs, ‘Strawberry Thief’, ‘Forest’, ‘Acanthus’ and ‘Honeysuckle’. As part of the capsule collection, Loewe released a limited-edition version of the ‘Puzzle’ bag with the ‘Strawberry Thief’ design printed onto the leather.
The maker
Loewe is a Spanish luxury brand specialising in leather goods. It was founded in Madrid in 1846 by a group of leather craftsmen. It was not until 1872 when a German, Enrique Loewe Rossenberg, joined the group that the brand was fully established and Loewe became known for its precision, technical excellence and exquisite craftmanship. They were appointed Official Supplier to the Spanish Royal Crown in 1905. In 1965, following their success selling leather goods, Loewe expanded into the ready-to-wear clothing market, although they remain best known for their leather bags.
Today, Loewe is owned by the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton group who bought the house in 1996. In 2013 Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson was appointed as the new Creative Director. Anderson studied at London College of Fashion and started his career in fashion as a visual merchandiser for Prada. He founded his fashion label JW Anderson in 2008 and is known for designs which mix the traditional and the avant-garde. Anderson’s first collection for Loewe was released in 2014 to popular acclaim in the fashion press.
The bag
In 2015 Anderson released his first bag design for Loewe, called Puzzle. Following its release, the Puzzle bag quickly became the ‘It’ bag of the season with Elle magazine calling it ‘the industry's favourite handbag’. In November 2017 Loewe released a capsule collection inspired by the work of nineteenth-century textile designer and writer William Morris. The collection was based around four Morris designs, ‘Strawberry Thief’, ‘Forest’, ‘Acanthus’ and ‘Honeysuckle’. As part of the capsule collection, Loewe released a limited-edition version of the ‘Puzzle’ bag with the ‘Strawberry Thief’ design printed onto the leather.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
|
| Materials and techniques | The body of the bag is printed on a deerskin base while the handles, shoulder strap and trims are in calf leather
Metal, colour described by Loewe as 'Palladium' |
| Brief description | Handbag, Puzzle, printed with William Morris's 'Strawberry Thief' pattern, designed by Jonathan Anderson for Loewe, Spain, 2017 |
| Physical description | Handbag, made from over 40 individual pieces of leather. The pieces of leather have been cut into specific geometric shapes which, when stitched together, create the distinctive design of the Puzzle bag. It has an attatched handle and a secondary removable shoulder strap. The metal work is silver-tone. The leather is printed with William Morris's 'Strawberry Thief' pattern. The interior is lined with an orange herringbone-patterned cotton-canvas fabric and has two internal pockets. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Ready to wear |
| Gallery label |
|
| Credit line | Given by the Loewe Foundation |
| Historical context | Loewe make ‘Puzzle’ bags in three sizes: small Puzzle, Puzzle and large Puzzle. They are available in a variety of colours, with new colours released periodically. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Associations | |
| Summary | Jonathan Anderson (b.1984) designed the Puzzle bag for Loewe in 2015. It has quickly become one of Loewe’s most recognisable designs. Loewe released this version, printed with William Morris’s ‘Strawberry Thief’ pattern, in 2017. The maker Loewe is a Spanish luxury brand specialising in leather goods. It was founded in Madrid in 1846 by a group of leather craftsmen. It was not until 1872 when a German, Enrique Loewe Rossenberg, joined the group that the brand was fully established and Loewe became known for its precision, technical excellence and exquisite craftmanship. They were appointed Official Supplier to the Spanish Royal Crown in 1905. In 1965, following their success selling leather goods, Loewe expanded into the ready-to-wear clothing market, although they remain best known for their leather bags. Today, Loewe is owned by the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton group who bought the house in 1996. In 2013 Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson was appointed as the new Creative Director. Anderson studied at London College of Fashion and started his career in fashion as a visual merchandiser for Prada. He founded his fashion label JW Anderson in 2008 and is known for designs which mix the traditional and the avant-garde. Anderson’s first collection for Loewe was released in 2014 to popular acclaim in the fashion press. The bag In 2015 Anderson released his first bag design for Loewe, called Puzzle. Following its release, the Puzzle bag quickly became the ‘It’ bag of the season with Elle magazine calling it ‘the industry's favourite handbag’. In November 2017 Loewe released a capsule collection inspired by the work of nineteenth-century textile designer and writer William Morris. The collection was based around four Morris designs, ‘Strawberry Thief’, ‘Forest’, ‘Acanthus’ and ‘Honeysuckle’. As part of the capsule collection, Loewe released a limited-edition version of the ‘Puzzle’ bag with the ‘Strawberry Thief’ design printed onto the leather. |
| Bibliographic reference | Bags V&A Exhibition (Project)
Bags: Inside Out (2020) Lucia Savi, V&A Publishing, pg 50
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.3-2019 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | November 19, 2018 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
