Inside Loewe’s Beautiful New Publication Starring Kaia Gerber

Loewe continues its collaboration with Japanese photographer Fumiko Imano with the release of its latest limited-edition publication for Spring/Summer 2020. Kaia Gerber is captured by Imano in the serene grounds of the Peace Garden at Maison de l’UNESCO, Paris, which was designed in 1957 by Isamu Noguchi. The photographer’s imaginary twin – a self-portrait pasted into the image that gives the appearance of Imano having a double – appears in the garden with Gerber, both wearing Loewe’s Spring/Summer 2020 collection, styled by Benjamin Bruno.

“Noguchi’s garden doubles up as a kabuki stage theatre,” says the Spanish house in a statement about the publication, referencing the storied Japanese dance and theatre tradition. In this setting, Gerber is the ‘naïf’, while Imano and her fictional twin portray aragoto villains, with requisite striking make-up by Pat McGrath. The calming Peace Garden offers a moment of escapism in the heart of the French capital, and is the ideal setting for Imano’s homage to kabuki: “with its day-long programmes and elaborate costumes, kabuki is intended as an escape from the everyday world too,” explains Loewe. 

Jonathan Anderson introduced the tradition of Loewe books, each published in limited editions of 1,200, in 2014 and has collaborated with Imano on a number of the publications: previous iterations have seen Imano and her twin photographed alongside Liya Kebede, Saskia de Brauw and Fei Fei Sun. See inside Publication #30 in the gallery below.