Bottega Veneta has been a universal brand that has known to become a “sleeping giant” for quite a while. Veneta’s staple items were the house’s woven leather (interecciato) engraved in the main fashion items which did not satisfy consumers enough to make the brand stand out.
However, 2019 had been the year of reviving Bottega Veneta in which investigations on how this brand has regained its popularity had begun.
First and foremost, the connection in the change of designer had brought Bottega Veneta into a “new” generation of this brand. 32-year old Englishman, Daniel Lee has become the new designer of Bottega Veneta. He originally worked with Celine’s old designer, Phoebe Philo until she had retired. Through her retirement, many wanted her designs back in the Celine industry which could possibly correlate with why Lee’s work has gained popularity in Bottega Veneta.
Daniel Lee’s process of reviving Bottega Veneta came with implementing the goal of “maintaining codes of the house – craftsmanship, quality and sophistication – while imbuing them with a new perspective and modernity. Lee’s focus on modernism has allowed him to achieve greater success with the revival of this brand.
The success of this brand had all started from Lee’s reveal of “The Pouch” for his Spring 2019 collection. It is made up of dough-soft calfskin where many influencers started to carry it around, capturing the fashion world’s attention.
Furthermore, Lee’s first Bottega Veneta debut for the runway was for the Autumn/Winter 2019 collection. He incorporated knitwear, statement dresses and Bottega Veneta’s staple intrecciato weaving technique in only leather handbag and shoe garments such as wallets or sandals. This became a huge trend to the brand where the limitation of interecciato in every single ready-to-wear item to just handbag and shoe garments created immense popularity.
We could truly say that Daniel Lee’s capability to understand the “needs of modern woman and how she wants to be dressed” has revived the hope for Bottega Veneta.