Loewe AW26/27: McCollough and Hernandez define a new era of 'creative play' in Paris
Madrid – As one of the most anticipated events of the latest edition of Paris Fashion Week_ the presentation of Loewe's new collection for the autumn/winter 2026/2027 season took place on the outskirts of the French capital this Friday_ March 6. It was a co-ed presentation_ from which its new creative directors_ Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez_ finally presented their first menswear pieces for the historic Spanish fashion house.
Following this highly anticipated presentation_ Loewe once again established itself firmly among the must-see shows of this latest edition of Paris Fashion Week (PFW). The Spanish house returned to the event as planned after skipping last January's edition_ which is primarily reserved for menswear. This move was made with the clear intention of taking a decisive step in the repositioning process the brand has been undergoing since the departure of Jonathan Anderson and the arrival of the American duo_ McCollough and Hernandez_ at its creative helm. They debuted in this position last October with the Loewe spring/summer 2026 collection. Now_ they have come forward to further unveil the new direction_ aesthetic and creative impulses set to define this new era for Loewe. This second presentation as its new design heads features their second womenswear collection and their first menswear collection.
To complete the context of this Paris presentation_ we must also note the launch of McCollough and Hernandez's first campaign as Loewe's new creative directors in mid-February. The American designers used this campaign to clearly convey the image of “their new Loewe”_ a house that thrives on “joy”_ “sensuality” and “a modernity that is instinctive_ not forced”. These are essential premises to keep in mind before delving into the details of the new Loewe men's and women's collections for autumn/winter 2026/2027_ which have just been presented in Paris. The collections stem from these same impressions_ in this case generated by the “joy” and pleasure the designers themselves experience when approaching their work. They approach these tasks from the perspective of play_ a process that becomes the cause and origin of these introspective collections_ influenced by the work of the Kenyan-born_ Germany-based artist Cosima von Bonin.
“When we began to conceptualise our second collection for Loewe_ we were struck by a simple truth_” explain the creative duo in a joint statement. “For us_ the act of creating is_ in its essence_ an expression of joy; an intellectual pursuit guided by the process itself and charged with a playful spirit.” From this philosophy_ “the journey taken”—the process—“matters as much as the final result”—the collection. To get there_ a journey is completed based on “the idea of play as a form of rigorous experimentation and problem-solving_ moving between instinct and experience_ between a devotion to craft and its infinite possibilities for innovation and development_ driven by a boundless curiosity”.
The result of combining these reflections by McCollough and Hernandez with the “humour_ lightness and a luminous_ inclusive spirit” they identify as “qualities intrinsic to Loewe's Spanish heritage” led them to “the work of Cosima von Bonin”_ the design duo notes. This conviction also defined their debut at the creative helm. “An artist we have long admired and with whom we were recently fortunate enough to spend time_” they said. Her “work reflects many of the ideas we sought to articulate and manifest physically” in this collection. These parallels resulted in a close collaboration based on “a key principle of game theory”: “a finite game is played for the purpose of winning”_ but “an infinite game is played for the purpose of continuing the play”. The designers ask_ “what is fashion but an open field for endless creative play?”_ foreshadowing the dynamic that will now structure their work at Loewe's creative helm: the art of play.
From latex slip dresses to 'inflated' parkas and new 'Whisker' bag
Having established the metaphysical nature of the collection and the impulses_ concerns_ inspirations and reflections that shaped it_ we now explore how this process culminated in the new Loewe autumn/winter 2026/2027 collection. The collection_ guided by key principles for both menswear and womenswear_ is presented as a single_ integrated offering of masculine and feminine garments. The joint presence of the house's two lines on the runway helped to underpin the new creative vision that McCollough and Hernandez are developing for their new Loewe. This marks a decisive turning point in this new era_ before the men's and women's lines are once again presented independently_ as planned by the Spanish brand's management.
Regarding colour_ the collection is based on a distinctively and unabashedly warm palette_ dominated by poppy and pastel yellows_ alongside warm reds and oranges. These tones are more typical of a summer collection than a winter one. With them_ McCollough and Hernandez highlight the playful “joy” they attribute to Loewe as part of its Spanish heritage. They also masterfully connect these with more autumnal and wintery nuances through counterpoints of brown_ black and violet. These shades add depth and dynamism to a colour palette completed by grass greens and sky blues. This symphony of colours unanimously directs us to the natural world from which Loewe and its unparalleled craftsmanship draw inspiration_ and to the world of play_ which is intimately tied to the universe of primary colours.
As for the garments themselves_ the American designers have used this colour palette to create an equally bold and “playful” collection for Loewe_ founded on the concept of play as a “devotion to craft and its infinite possibilities for innovation”. Key elements and pieces of the collection include slip dresses with latex lace; dyed and gradient-cut fur coats; tartan sack dresses; floral and Vichy check prints_ characteristic of Cosima von Bonin's work; alluring strapless beaded dresses; and exceptional coats made from knotted leather strips_ as well as masterful leather trousers that showcase Loewe's historic “savoir-faire” as a house specialising in leatherwork and leather goods. Parkas also play a leading role in this collection. A canonical garment of the 90s and 2000s_ McCollough and Hernandez have revived and reinterpreted it in a “maxi” and voluminous style_ as an archetype for the new_ “playful” Loewe they are shaping.
ess_ thanks to its structured top handle and its flexible_ relaxed body in glazed calfskin”.
“The Loewe autumn/winter 2026/2027 collection draws on the house's long tradition of innovative craftsmanship and leatherwork to push the boundariIn the world of accessories_ Loewe's “hyper-inflated” scarves for FW26 are equally voluminous. For the season_ McCollough and Hernandez have once again featured their new “Amazona 180” model as a key piece. It was introduced at their debut show last October and pays homage to the 180th anniversary of Loewe's founding in Madrid in 2026. The house has already begun selling this design_ which is the first handbag created for the brand by its new creative directors. They have now expanded Loewe's handbag “universe” with Amazona 180 designs inspired by Von Bonin's work; a new “enlarged” size of the Amazona 180; new versions of the “Flamenco clutch” model; and the launch of the new Loewe “Whisker bag”. They present this piece as “an elegant fusion of rigidity and softnes of what is possible_ reinventing silhouette_ form and materiality_ while breathing new life into the brand's womenswear and menswear codes_” Loewe's management emphasised. The result is a collection where “a spirit of play and surprise_ of humour and wit_ permeates the _ready-to-wear__ leather goods and accessories” of the house. For the upcoming autumn/winter season_ standout elements range from “slip dresses” in “latex with a shiny_ viscous physicality” to “parkas and scarves” that “are reinterpreted as inflatable volumes”. Other highlights include “bouclé coats made from looped lacquered leather”; “tartan jumpers and dresses woven from ultra-fine leather thread”; and “corduroy coats and trousers made from pastel-dyed _shearling__ gradient-cut in the same way as a poodle's coat”.
