Loewe’s first ever retrospective exhibition ‘Crafted World’ in Shanghai celebrates its history and Jonathan Anderson’s 10-year tenure – we attended the opening alongside stars like Jonathan Bailey

Held at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre, a heritage building dating back to 1955, the “Crafted World” exhibition showcases the entire universe of Loewe, the leather-goods house established in 1846 and to this day an official purveyor of the Royal Household of Spain.

In an interview before the exhibition’s opening, Anderson admitted to feeling a bit “nervous” at the prospect of seeing a decade of his work on full display, wondering if his collections would still “stand up” after so many years.

He needn’t have worried. During a morning preview, guests couldn’t stop taking photos of the outfits displayed in the section dedicated to his creations. Attendees ranged from seasoned editors who have had the privilege of attending all of his shows for the label, to younger industry insiders.

The exhibition – the first of its kind for the brand – is a journey through history, but it also showcases artworks by Loewe collaborators such as late artist Ken Price, and pieces from the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, which supports artisans from all over the world.

As Anderson pointed out, Loewe doesn’t like to take itself too seriously – and “Crafted World” also offers plenty of interactive games and fun moments. One section in particular is likely to elicit quite a few laughs: a series of videos starring actors such as Yang Mi, Dan Levy and Aubrey Plaza demonstrating how to pronounce “Loewe” correctly (it’s “lo-weh-vay”, in case you’re wondering).

Mi joined Anderson along with international celebrities such as Bridgerton’s heartthrob Jonathan Bailey and Thai actress Baifern (Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul) – recently announced as Loewe’s brand ambassador – to celebrate the opening of the show, which will be on view in Shanghai until early May and eventually make stops around the world.