Speaking on the appointment, Leo Rongone (CEO of Bottega) said “Matthieu Blazy is an extraordinarily talented individual, whom I am proud and excited to entrust with the creative helm of our luxury House. Bottega Veneta has always been equated with signature craftsmanship and distinctive creativity. Matthieu’s appointment will further enhance the modern relevance of our brand and accelerate our growth, while preserving the values that are at the core of Bottega Veneta”. Eagle-eyed members of the fashion community have spotted the shadiness of the word choice here – whilst Lee was a “collaboration” Blazy is an official “appointment”.

Aside from the drama of this departure and appointment, Matthieu Blazy makes sense for Bottega for a number of reasons. Firstly, he knows ‘New Bottega’, having been the design director for the brand under Lee. Moreover, despite never being the frontman of a brand, Blazy has some impressive credentials. He has previously worked under Raf Simons for Calvin Klein, and it was also revealed that he was one of the designers behind Maison Margiela’s Artisanal label. Bringing his wealth of knowledge from Simons, as well as the flair of couture to Bottega, Blazy is set to impress as Bottega’s new creative director despite having big (puddle) boots to fill.