Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the acclaimed duo behind Proenza Schouler, will take the reins as Creative directors at Loewe effective April 7th. Their appointment follows the departure of Jonathan Anderson after an influential 11-year tenure that elevated Loewe to the fashion elite.
The announcement comes shortly after they stepped down from their namesake brand earlier this year. The American designers will assume “the entire creative responsibility of all Loewe collections across womenswear, menswear, leather goods and accessories,” according to the Spanish fashion house.
The designers burst onto the fashion scene straight out of Parsons School of Design in 2002, when Barneys New York bought their thesis collection. They quickly established themselves as innovative forces in American fashion, winning five CFDA awards, including Womenswear Designer of the Year three times. Their PS1 messenger-style bag became an enduring “IT” bag after its launch in 2008. The name Proenza Schouler is derived from the maiden names of the designers’ mothers.
In 2007, the Valentino Fashion Group acquired a stake in Proenza Schouler. Four years later, a group led by John Howard and Andrew Rosen acquired the majority of Valentino‘s stake. In 2018, Mudrick Capital Management helped the designers buy back their company.
LVMH had long eyed the duo for one of its marquee houses. Talks about Loewe began quietly last October, although discussions with the group had been going on for years. Sidney Toledano, a longtime LVMH executive and advisor to Bernard Arnault, expressed his confidence in McCollough and Hernandez. He praised their creative vision and commitment to craftsmanship and said they were the right choice to lead Loewe into its next phase. Toledano added that he was excited to see how they would shape the brand’s future.
While Anderson’s surrealist touch defined Loewe’s most recent era, McCollough and Hernandez are expected to refine the brand’s experimental edge while honoring its artisanal roots. McCollough and Hernandez expressed their great honor to join Loewe, noting that the brand’s values are closely aligned with their own. They also shared their excitement about working with the talented teams and artisans who, under Jonathan Anderson’s leadership, have helped shape Loewe into the influential brand it is today.
While joining Loewe, McCollough and Hernandez will maintain their ties to Proenza Schouler as shareholders and board members. They are also working with CEO Shira Suveyke Snyder to identify a new creative leader for the brand they founded. Meanwhile, Anderson’s departure paves the way for his rumored move to Dior.
Loewe enters this transition with strong momentum. Under Anderson, Loewe went from a relatively quiet leather goods company to a global fashion powerhouse, with sales reportedly increasing sevenfold to nearly €2 billion EUR. McCollough and Hernandez inherit a house that balances heritage with daring creativity, a challenge they seem ready to take on. The new Creative directors have not yet announced their first collection for Loewe. They plan to visit the brand’s workshops in Madrid and move from New York to Paris as they begin their roles.
