Loewe Strengthens North American Presence with Miami Store

In 1566, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, a Spanish admiral and explorer was known to be the first Spaniard to step on the soil of Miami and claimed the land for Spain. Subsequently, he also became the first governor of the Colonial Florida. 

Five centuries later, the history seems to repeat but this time, in a very fashionable way with the arrival of renowned Spanish fashion maison, Loewe. 

Known for its abundance of well-preserved Art Deco buildings and its annual Art Basel, Miami provides the perfect setting for Loewe to open its first store in North America as it befits the brand’s enthusiastic support and love for arts. Moreover, the Iberian influences brought by the Spanish explorers to the city, which is also a gateway to the Latin American region, seamlessly blend with the brand’s storied heritage. 

Prior to its standalone store, Loewe products are sold at Saks Fifth Avenue at Collins Avenue, Bal Harbour.  

Officially opened to the masses on February 29th, the Miami store features a striking construction composed of airy interiors with the use of stone floors, museum-quality lighting, walls painted in Loewe smoke-white humo hue and vast expanses of glass. 

Apart from the two must have Loewe icons — Amazona and Puzzle bags — the store also carries a great selection of ready-to-wear pieces, designed by its current Creative Director Jonathan Anderson. 

However, well-edited product range aside, complementing its museum-like ambiance is a spectacular edifice – an 18th century hórreo or granary found in a small town that lies near the border of Galicia, Spain and Portugal. Built for grain storage and drying, the hórreos were widely used since the Middle Ages by people in the northwest Iberian Peninsula. 

Measuring 11 metres or 36 feet, the stone barn was built on stilts to prevent mould, humidity and access by destructive rodents. 

In addition to being the first of its kind to be exhibited in the United States, the hórreo’s origin does not only link with Miami’s Hispanic roots and identity but it also provides a positive tension amid the burnished surfaces of the city’s design district. 

“We wanted to show a fragment of Spanish history in a modern way: abstracted, displaced, a building inside of a building,” said Anderson. “It shows how the information codified in architecture acquires new meaning when it travels and something that served a specific function takes on a new character in a foreign landscape.”

Anderson further added, “We brought a hórreo to Miami and inserted it in the middle of a white box. It is part of the knowledge of where Loewe is from, transferred to another time and place.” 

So, if you happened to be in Miami for work or play, do not forget to visit Loewe store at Miami Design District for a dose of exalted Spanish fashion. The store opens from 11.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and closed on Sunday. 

*Photos courtesy of Loewe

Loewe – Miami Design District, 110 NE 39th Street NW 102 and 202, Miami, FL 33137, USA.