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Loewe Staying True to Its Heritage
MADRID
-- Despite the Spanish meltdown, Loewe is betting on its roots.
The Madrid-based luxury leather-goods company inaugurated facilities last week in the industrial suburb of Getafe, a half-hour drive from the center of town, that will double its production capacity and create jobs in severely underemployed Spain.
Adjoining the original plant, total floor space for both two-story buildings stretches to approximately 162,000 square feet. The addition houses a computer-controlled cutting center; storage area for raw materials and (predominantly Spanish) skins; design departments for handbags -- 65 percent of worldwide Loewe sales -- and ready-to-wear, both designed by creative director Stuart Vevers. The space also houses the corporate gem: an archive-museum with vintage Loewe items dating from 1905 to the present. The Getafe workforce is expected to reach 430 -- an increase of 180 -- by 2015.
"This is a brand that has survived everything -- even the Civil War," said a spokesman during a walk-through of the facility. "We have a very energetic, international team. We're optimistic and the new facility reflects our confidence...