Who started it?
Loewe was founded in Madrid, Spain, in 1876 by German immigrant Enrique Loewe Roessberg and a group of local Spanish craftsmen who had set up a leather workshop earlier in 1846.
In 1892, Roessberg opened the first 'E.Loewe' leather goods store and workshop on Madrid's prestigious Principe Street.
Moving beyond small leather goods and luggage, the label began producing handbags for women under the 'Leather Goods Factory' insignia. In 1905, the Duchess of La Conquista, a member of the Spanish court, introduced the brand to the royal house. This introduction led to King Alfonso XIII honouring the family with the title of 'Supplier to the Royal Court'.
In 1910, the label expanded with the opening of two new stores in Barcelona; about 35 years later the company opened its largest boutique in Madrid. Designed by architect Francisco Ferrer Bartolome, the store is credited for pioneering the concept of visual merchandising with its elaborate shop window displays created by Jose Perez de Rozas, the art director from 1945 to 1978.
In 1949, Loewe opened a leather factory that included a school to ensure the label's leather-working techniques could be passed on to successive generations.