DUBAI: Spanish luxury brand Loewe has named Egyptian actress Salma Abu Deif as its newest brand ambassador.

The star most recently attended Loewe’s Spring/Summer 2026 runway show in Paris, marking the first collection designed under the creative direction of Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez.

As the first Loewe brand ambassador in the Middle East, Abu Deif called it an “incredible honor” and said she had “long admired the house for its artistry and bold creativity.”

She added: “This partnership allows me to express myself in new and meaningful ways. The brand’s ability to merge minimalism with innovation has always inspired me, and I deeply admire the way it champions individuality.”

Trained at New York’s Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Cairo-born Abu Deif has starred in numerous films, including playing singer Sherine in 2017’s “Sheikh Jackson.” The film, screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, was Egypt’s Academy Award submission for the Best International Feature Film category.

The actress has also appeared in series such as “Rag’een ya Hawa” and “Halawet El Donia.”

 Abu Deif’s tenure comes as Loewe takes its first steps under new creative heads McCollough and Hernandez. They have taken up the mantle from Jonathan Anderson who stepped down in March after an 11-year stint for a move to Dior.

McCollough and Hernandez met at the Parsons New School of Design. In an unusual move, they chose to collaborate on their graduate collection, which was released in 2002 and picked up by Barneys New York. Their label, Proenza Schouler, is taken from their mother’s maiden names.

In 2004, the pair were awarded the inaugural Council of Fashion Designers of America Vogue Fashion Fund. They went on to win the CFDA’s Womenswear Designer of the Year award in 2007.

Fast forward to 2025 and the pair were tapped to lead Loewe into its next chapter. Fashion magazines speculated on where the duo would take the famed label — and the duo soon impressed.

The Spring/Summer 2026 collection was well received, with Women’s Wear Daily lauding it as “full of bold colors and clean, sculptural garments.”

 “(It) felt future-looking but full of life and organic textures,” WWD’s Ashley Simpson added.