Many fashion houses talk of craft but it’s Loewe that remains one of the most committed to supporting individual practitioners. The Spanish maison’s signature award, the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, is now in its sixth edition since creative director Jonathan Anderson conceptualised this initiative back in 2016 to spotlight artisans globally who bring a contemporary flair to craftsmanship.
It’s always a closely watched affair; the prize remains one of the most singular one of its kind with a 50,000 euro prize and an all-star jury (names include Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Abraham Thomas and starchitect Patricia Urquiola).
This year, there were over 2,700 submissions by artisans representing 117 countries and regions, working across the disciplines of ceramics, woodwork, textiles ,furniture, paper, basketry, glass, metal, jewellery lacquer, leather and bookbinding.
And from these, 30 names have just been selected, with each finalist’s work to be shown at The Noguchi Museum in New York from May 17 until June 18. It’s a pretty big deal; this edition of the Craft Prize will be the first time a public exhibition has been staged in the space created by the revered sculptor Isamu Noguchi.
A design by Liam Lee
Notably, this year’s Craft Prize feels more playful than usual, with many of the works incorporating trompe l’oeil techniques to play and distort viewers’ expectations, such as this chair by American designer Liam Lee which looks to be clay at first glance, but is actually made of felted merino wool.
And while the winner will only be announced May 16 at the opening of the Craft Prize 2023 exhibition, you can check out all 30 finalists’ works below first.
