It no longer operates solely within the realm of craftsmanship, but has chosen to dress Dua Lipa for her wedding pre-party, having placed Jacob Elordi and Lorenzo Musetti at the centre of its new constellation of ambassadors. It is here that we can see how Bottega Veneta has changed: from an almost monastic discretion to a constant presence
by Domenico Casoria
There was a time when Bottega Veneta was a classic handbag brand, an interplay of weaves and silences built on discretion and craftsmanship. Then its trajectory shifted, thanks to the more architectural and, in some ways, pop-inspired direction of Matthieu Blazy, who transformed the brand’s heritage into a laboratory of materials and movement. Today, the brand is firmly in the hands of Louise Trotter, who has decided to take it everywhere: it is sophisticated yet sporty, classic yet hyper-modern, still rooted in hand-crafted leather yet perfectly at home on the red carpet.
How Bottega Veneta has changed
This shift in direction has also been reinforced by the faces chosen to represent it: tennis player Lorenzo Musetti as brand ambassador, “Euphoria” star Jacob Elordi, K-Pop singer I.N (a member of Stray Kids) and Oscar-winning actress Julianne Moore. A few weeks ago, however, Bottega Veneta did something unusual. It dressed pop star Dua Lipa for her Sicilian wedding. For the welcome party in Palermo, the singer chose a bespoke, sleeveless wedding dress in woven leather, paired with a matching ‘Andiamo’ clutch and a flowing skirt adorned with feathers.
A look that encapsulates the brand’s new era, characterised by exquisite craftsmanship, restrained sensuality and a commanding stage presence. But she wasn’t the first star to have chosen Bottega for such a high-profile event. For the Super Bowl press conference, the guest of honour and American singer-songwriter Bad Bunny had worn a pinstriped wool suit, a cotton poplin shirt and a shearling coat. When we consider how little time has passed since 2021, when Bottega Veneta decided to withdraw from Instagram, the shift in direction seems all the more radical. The brand that once championed silence now appears to be heading in a completely different direction, without losing the precision of the hands that built it.
After Daniel Lee
At the time, it was Daniel Lee, the brand’s creative director from 2018 to 2021, who pulled the plug on its social media profiles. Today, there is still no trace of official Instagram pages (apart from two major fan pages that tell us as much as possible about the Bottega universe), yet the brand continues to enjoy enormous success online. Since stepping away from social media, the brand has focused on old-school advertising campaigns and, above all, on ambassadors – the old-school brand ambassadors – who are, in the truest sense of the word, famous figures not always associated with the fashion world, such as sports stars and A-list actresses. The brand has (indirectly) left the task of communication to them. The choice of new faces, however, does not clash with its design philosophy.
This ‘social media discretion’, for example, continues to find its counterpart in the products, which remain logo-free and based on a strategy of minimalism, yet are still perfectly recognisable. Indeed, Bottega Veneta continues to emphasise the concept of “intrecciato”(braided concept), which has always been the brand’s signature. As it did with the ‘Craft is Our Language’ campaign to celebrate the very tradition of its signature design on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. In short, a transformation that demonstrates how discretion can often evolve into a different form of strength and recognisability.
Photo: Bottega Veneta
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