Last week, Bottega Veneta made the shock announcement that creative director Daniel Lee was leaving after just 3 years. Hailed as giving the house new life and transforming its reputation, the announcement was unexpected: the abrupt news left the fashion world speculating on where Lee would be heading, but also curious about the future of the brand.
Bottega Veneta has been a hugely profitable house for Kering, making up 8% of all sales for the conglomerate. The public seemed to agree – with news breaking that Kering’s stock fell 2.5% immediately upon news of Lee’s departure before dipping another 1% as the news sank in the next day. That may not sound like a lot, but that original divot is equivalent to the Pinaults (the family that owns Kering) losing US$860 million in wealth, according to journalist Christina Binkley.
Now, the brand has announced Lee’s successor: Matthieu Blazy. Although not an established lead designer, Blazy boasts an impressive portfolio, having been the design director of Bottega since June 2020. Whilst somewhat surprising, Kering has had success with internal promotions in the past: it doesn’t seem that long ago that Alessandro Michele was a relatively unknown designer to the general public.
View this post on Instagram
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.
View this post on Instagram
More on CULTED:
See also: DOPAMINE DRESSING, WEIRD COLLABS & KIDCORE DEFINED FASHION IN 2021, ACCORDING TO LYST
See also: GUCCIAGA DROPPED, SOLD OUT & LANDED ON EBAY IN HOURS
