Not all heroes wear capes.
Loewe is partnering with the Tokuma Memorial Cultural Foundation for Animation to sponsor operations at the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo for the next three years.
Established in 2001, the museum welcomes visitors into the world of Studio Ghibli, the legendary animated film studio founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata.
Designed by Miyazaki himself, the Ghibli Museum houses exhibits on the animation process, as well as behind-the-scenes looks at films including Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. There's even a reading room, a cafe, and a life-sized recreation of Miyazaki's famous Catbus.
Loewe's contribution to the museum is timely. At the height of the pandemic, the attraction was forced to close twice, once in February 2020 and again in April of the same year.
To prevent the museum's permanent closure, the city of Mitaka launched a crowdfunding campaign that, so far, has raised approximately $275,085. The fundraiser will close on January 1, 2022.
Loewe's Jonathan Anderson is a self-professed fan of Studio Ghibli. Earlier this year, the designer launched a Loewe capsule collection paying homage to My Neighbor Totoro with T-shirts, hoodies, and bags adorned with the raccoon-like forest spirit from the film.
"Studio Ghibli and LOEWE have many shared values, from a longstanding commitment to craft, to an enduring love of nature," said Sheila Loewe, president of the Loewe Foundation (the brand's charitable initiative). "
"We look forward to becoming a part of their story, helping to spread the unique charm of the Ghibli Museum around the world."
On Instagram, the Loewe Foundation shared an image of a cross-stitched "LOEWE x Ghibli Museum emblem," a graphic that seems to hint at future Ghibli-themed collaborations.
Might we see a Loewe x Spirited Away collection? Or more Totoro-themed releases? Please?
