THE SPRING/ Summer 2026 season has been defined by debuts. Whilst all carry a weighted responsibility to uphold what came before, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez’s appointment as Loewe’s next creative directors may have had the most pressure.
Taking over the helm of the Spanish house after Jonathan Anderson’s twelve-year tenure, which not only changed but also reinvented the brand as a key global player, meant the saying ‘big shoes to fill’ couldn’t have been truer. But it was time to redefine the tone.
McCollough and Hernandez immediately brought a distilled, assertive clarity to Loewe. Both New Yorkers with a long-standing affection for precision – evident in their hailed womenswear brand Proenza Schouler – the pair brought a rhythm of form that felt disciplined but not joyless, sensual but not sentimental.
Opening with an ultra mini two-piece with a contrasting black leather minimalistic jacket, it became clear that structure would be the centre point of this new era. What followed was a sequence of propositions that balanced body-conscious tailoring with unexpected silhouettes – bare shoulders, towel-like dresses and bermuda shorts against a utilitarian array of sweeping hems, cinched waists and scrunched knits. It all felt very Loewe but it was presented through a sharper, more architectural lens.
The palette of the collection was a powerful indicator of identity as they leaned into primary colours as a vehicle for change. Chrome yellow sat beside navy blue, tomato red was seen with a sea of greys, and buttery yellows were matched with rich greens. But it was leather that inevitably played the starring role in SS26.
Loewe has always had an emphasis on craft and texture, and here we saw it played with from the clothes to accessories, bringing at points a softer touch and in others, a rigid stiffness with raw edges that together showcased an applaudable variety of savoir-faire.
The reimagined Amazona 180 bag arrived with an asymmetric single handle and firm structure with ample interior that was both nostalgic in design and engineered to present newness.
What makes McCollough and Hernandez’s touch so distinctive is their ability to synthesise opposites: blending American pragmatism with European sensuality. This duality proves fertile here, as by no means are they trying to out-clever Anderson’s quick-witted ability to explore the many facets of conceptualism; rather, they seemed to have grounded the brand into reality. And as Madrid’s oldest luxury fashion house, it seems like its future is being formed by deliberate acts that are shaping ideas into new forms.
by Imogen Clark