LOEWE has announced that it will be participating in the annual furniture fair, Salone del Mobile. Primarily the brand aims to exhibit its dedication to leather craftsmanship and aspirations of finding innovative ways to develop it.

2015 saw the brand showcase ceramics-inspired leather bowls. Marquetry is the focus for 2016, a subject matter chosen by Creative Director Jonathan Anderson. Decorative tropes will be realised through this ancient technique, with six pieces of 20th-century furniture inlayed with assorted leather cut-outs, coloured specifically to form figurations of landscapes and ‘drawings’.

Experimenting has pushed the presence of the 170-year-old brand since its inception. Motifs derived from historical sources – such as centuries-old Japanese wood screens, for example – are reworked and evolved tirelessly by the label’s expert ateliers. Textures are explored, natural forms are abstracted, painterly effects are engendered through use of varying types of leather and, most importantly, LOEWE manages to demonstrate its unfaltering zeal for dextrous manipulations for leather.

And here’s where it comes back to the new generation of artisans, Loewe have announced the creation of LOEWE Craft Prize, designed to recognise outstanding achievements in craftsmanship. Every year, the Prize will showcase and celebrate the work of nascent artists working across a diverse range of craft-based professions.

Salone del Mobile, Quartiere Fiera Milano, Rho (Milano), Italy. 12–17 April, 2016.