Luxury fashion meets parody in the latest Loewe campaign, a short film titled "Decades of Confusion," starring Aubrey Plaza of The White Lotus, penned by Schitt's Creek's Dan Levy and directed by Black Mirror director, Ally Pankiw.
If, like the rest of us, you've struggled to spell or pronounce Loewe (low-er-vay), the time has finally come to put things right. And we're also pleased to see the designer fashion world, not taking themselves too seriously and more importantly not being afraid to poke fun at themselves.
The film, which features Levy as a spelling bee host and Plaza playing characters inspired by different decades, riffs on the Spanish luxury brand's nuanced pronunciation, which is often a conversation starter in fashion. The brand was founded in 1846 by German-born Enrique Loewe Roessberg, which is why the "W" is pronounced as a "V". In the hilarious short, Plaza attempts to spell "Loewe" with a "u" and a "w".
Plaza's comedic talent (and Levy's quick-witted writing) shows through as she plays different fashion archetypes—a 70s midwestern woman with a "Farrah flick" hairstyle and oversized lucite glasses, a Waspy housewife dressed in a quiet luxury-inspired ensemble, and worldly overconfident fashion guru. Each persona is dressed in archival or current Loewe—including the iconic car dress from FW22—with of-the-moment hairstyles created by wig stylist Michelle Ceglia. Levy meanwhile, also sports various decade-inspired suits, glasses, and era-matching hairstyles. Plaza, who is half Puerto Rican and a Spanish speaker, is an undeniable fan of Loewe — the star recently rocked a butter-yellow gown from the brand at the Emmy's.
Spelling-bee-inspired marketing is having its moment in fashion. SSENSE released a similar campaign on March 18 to promote its designer kid's collections that asked children how to spell the designer names including Eckhaus Latta, Rick Owens, and Margiela while modeling the respective designs.
Jonathan Anderson, who's been Loewe's creative director for nearly 11 years, is known for experimenting with proportions and silhouettes in an avant-garde, yet still wearable way. The innovative Loewe "puzzle bag" continues to be one of the brand's most popular styles.
Anderson's unconventional ethos and love of craftsmanship help Loewe remain one of the strongest contenders in luxury fashion. The LVMH-owned label was named "world's hottest brand" by Lyst in 2023.
"I find there is nearly more newness happening within attitude than there is within product itself," Anderson told GQ in an interview.
