Who would have thought of planting plants on clothes? I believe only Jonathan Anderson. Under his leadership, Loewe’s seasonal collections always leave a deep impression. For the Spring/Summer 2023 men’s collection, he collaborated with designer Paula Ulargui Escalona on an experimental project to plant plants on clothes and shoes, exploring the relationship between nature and technology.
To express the concept of nature and technology merging, Jonathan Anderson planted chia seeds and plants on clothing, hoping that over time, these clothes would blend with nature. The clothing and seeds are cultivated in a specially designed greenhouse on the outskirts of Paris, requiring regular watering. After about 20 days, they will grow to the appropriate size to become decorative details on the clothing.
In terms of tailoring, Jonathan Anderson returns the clothing lines to the most basic and rough uniform form, then expands, enlarges, shrinks, cuts, or maintains them, creating basic men’s clothing such as pilot jackets, hoodies, sweatshirts, polo shirts, shirts, sweatpants, shorts, waxed jackets, and hooded thick jackets. In addition to inflatable Nappa leather, the materials also include ozone-treated cotton fabric, making the clothing look faded as if buried underground, highlighting the perfect contrast between new and old.
In addition, another highlight of the series is the coats and masks covered with electronic screens, playing images of flying birds in the sky, small fish underwater, flowing water, and people kissing, showcasing the design concept that integrates nature and artificial technology, breaking the traditional concept of designing fabrics.
