Style
Loewe's 'Totoro' collab is full of adorable handbags, backpacks, and hoodies
And more colorful leather goods are dropping soon.
When Loewe first announced it would release a My Neighbor Totoro capsule, our reaction was an instant and aggressive hell yes, sight unseen. Now, with just a day left to spare, the Spanish luxury house has finally shown what leather goods and other pieces it'll release featuring the characters from Studio Ghibli's most soothing film.
As expected, the crux of the collaboration is a range of rich leather bags adorned by Totoro, his mini-me's, and the dust bunnies. Backpacks, smaller handbags including the Puzzle and Hammock, and other pieces put the adorable creatures over a mix of earth tones and soft hues. Somehow, Catbus is still unaccounted for — and we have to hope the erasure doesn't continue upon the collection's release Thursday.
An early contender for collab of the year — Have you ever seen a handbag more heartwarming? Loewe designer Jonathan Anderson has been slowly doling out images from the collection over the past few weeks, and his excitement has seemed genuinely earnest instead of promotional. My Neighbor Totoro is a balm for even the most chapped of souls, and it's impressive how well the sense of solace translates to what are ultimately prohibitively expensive totems.
Each of the illustrations looks as if they're hand-painted, removing the stuffiness luxury bags often imbue. For the apparel — which includes button-up shirts, sweaters, sweatshirts, and tees — the same characters are rendered in print, jacquard, and embroidery. Aside from the bags, the most outstanding craftsmanship can be seen on the Camphor Tree on a knit sweater and embroidered onto a hoodie with scarf-like drawstrings.
"There is a natural longing for heartwarming feels right now," Anderson said in a press release acknowledging the sense of malaise that's followed us into the new year. "When I think of a movie that affords me that kind of solace, speaking just as directly to a child as it does to an adult, that movie is My Neighbor Totoro. The story of Mei and Satsuki's friendship with the magical Totoro and his cohorts, the mischievous dust bunnies, who can't be seen by adults but only by the children who love them, is truly touching. It is a product of craft in the form of an animated movie."
The creatures reveal themselves tomorrow — If you can afford to warm your heart in such an extravagant way, Loewe's My Neighbor Totoro collection hits its website and physical stores Thursday, January 7. No prices have been announced, but pieces in the collection such as the Puzzle Bag and Balloon Bag run in the range of $2,000 and up.
For the rest of us, just looking over the images is an unexpected form of eye bleach. Peruse through some more down below.