Watanabe's way

Bags from the Loewe and Junya Watanabe Comme des Garcons capsule collection. Photo provided to China Daily

Models display some of the jackets, bags, jeans and skirts designed by Junya Watanabe for Spanish leather house Loewe. Photos Provided to China Daily

The Japanese design guru teams up with Spanish leather house Loewe to make an unlikely combination of materials sing, Kitty Go reports.

How do denim and leather become stealth luxury?

When they come together in a collaborative collection by celebrated Japanese designer Junya Watanabe and Spanish leather house Loewe (pronounced "low-ay-ve"). This is not just a project thrown together by two international fashion greats who met over tea (even if they really did meet over tea), but a creative exchange that highlights culture, style and craftsmanship from both countries and their renowned designers.

To leather connoisseurs, Loewe's Spanish leather is one of the best. Its establishment in 1846 makes it one of the oldest purveyors of leather goods in the world. To denim aficionados, nothing comes close to the quality and special treatments of Japanese denim.

Together, Loewe and Junya Watanabe Comme des Garcons have married the best of Spanish and Japanese fashion for the first time in a collection sure to rock and impress everyone from a contemporary punk to a Park Avenue princess.

Loewe's former creative director Stuart Vevers first met with Junya Watanabe in Tokyo last November. Vevers, like many industry insiders, always admired Watanabe's work and was keen to create a collection with him. Watanabe is a protege of Comme des Garcons founder Rei Kawakubo and his name on the label makes him her appointed successor.

"We had a nice chat over a cup of tea. From there, the collaboration began in an informal way," recalls Vevers. "I have always been a fan of Junya's work, of the way he twists classics, and I wanted to see his take on Loewe."

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