Our verdict on the Bottega Veneta reboot
British designer Daniel Lee’s first collection for Milanese label Bottega Veneta has put the brand firmly back on the fashion map.
BY TEO VAN DEN BROEKE
Thursday 13 December 2018
Much like the Queen’s annus horribilis of 1997 and the banking industry’s collective breakdown in 2008, 2018 will be remembered as one of the most turbulent in the history of menswear.
The seasonal men’s show system underwent seismic changes, with many brands choosing to put on co-ed presentations during the women’s weeks instead; dad trainers took over the world (with sales of suits dropping in tandem); and the perpetual game of creative director musical chairs at the most important fashion brands shifted up a gear from “sugar-fuelled children’s party” to “Funny Games on crack”.
From Haider Ackermann’s unexpected dismissal from Berluti to Virgil Abloh’s surprise arrival at Louis Vuitton, feathers flew and fur was ruffled. One of the most unforeseen events was German designer Tomas Maier’s departure from stealth-luxe Milanese brand Bottega Veneta, following 17 years at the helm. Famed for his obsessive attention to detail and a didactic approach to design, Maier transformed Bottega Veneta from ailing bit-part player into fully fledged luxury behemoth.
Balenciaga and, most recently, Celine (prior to the arrival of Hedi Slimane), where he was design director of womenswear, Lee – a relative unknown outside of the industry – seemed a surprising choice to replace one of fashion biggest beasts.
Yesterday in Milan, Lee unveiled his first collection for the brand he now helms and proved that he was, perhaps, the right one.
What’s most impressive about Lee’s inaugural offering, however, is that he’s managed to create clothes that feel as elegant and classically "Bottega" as they do modern and edgy. There are chunky woven dad sneakers and Napa leather trackpants, sure, but the tailored garments are interesting and unexpected too. The black cashmere suit in the collection’s opening look may seem straightforward, for instance, but by way of the elongated jacket line, a narrowed lapel, an expanded origami breast pocket and an ultra-wide trouser, it’s transformed into something extraordinary.
Elsewhere, there’s a perforated leather cabana suit, which looks like it’s been made from an eye-wateringly expensive chamois leather, there’s an atomic yellow wind cheater and there are heavy boots finished with commando soles. The effect taken as a whole is masculine yet elegant, street yet smart. You can just as easily imagine Justin Bieber rocking the brown leather Bermuda shorts as you can Timothée Chalamet in the slim-cut honey-hued suit. It’s a collection with something for everyone (so long as everyone has money to spend).
At Celine, Lee designed elegant, challenging clothes that both empowered women and made them look beautiful – with his first collection for Bottega Veneta it feels like he is attempting to do a similar thing for men. There’s a boldness and originality to the design that feels in step with the other brands in the Kering portfolio, such as Gucci and Saint Laurent. In Lee, Bottega Veneta has found a voice with which to speak to its increasingly demanding customer – a customer who expects stories and surprises from the brands they buy into, as much as expensive clothes made out of expensive fabrics.
In short, if this collection offers even a sniff of the quality of menswear we’ve got to look forward to in 2019 then the horror of 2018 was probably worth it.
*article courtesy of: Gentlemens Quarterly (UK)
https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/bottega-veneta-pre-fall-2019-review
British designer Daniel Lee’s first collection for Milanese label Bottega Veneta has put the brand firmly back on the fashion map.
BY TEO VAN DEN BROEKE
Thursday 13 December 2018
Much like the Queen’s annus horribilis of 1997 and the banking industry’s collective breakdown in 2008, 2018 will be remembered as one of the most turbulent in the history of menswear.
The seasonal men’s show system underwent seismic changes, with many brands choosing to put on co-ed presentations during the women’s weeks instead; dad trainers took over the world (with sales of suits dropping in tandem); and the perpetual game of creative director musical chairs at the most important fashion brands shifted up a gear from “sugar-fuelled children’s party” to “Funny Games on crack”.
From Haider Ackermann’s unexpected dismissal from Berluti to Virgil Abloh’s surprise arrival at Louis Vuitton, feathers flew and fur was ruffled. One of the most unforeseen events was German designer Tomas Maier’s departure from stealth-luxe Milanese brand Bottega Veneta, following 17 years at the helm. Famed for his obsessive attention to detail and a didactic approach to design, Maier transformed Bottega Veneta from ailing bit-part player into fully fledged luxury behemoth.
Balenciaga and, most recently, Celine (prior to the arrival of Hedi Slimane), where he was design director of womenswear, Lee – a relative unknown outside of the industry – seemed a surprising choice to replace one of fashion biggest beasts.
Yesterday in Milan, Lee unveiled his first collection for the brand he now helms and proved that he was, perhaps, the right one.
What’s most impressive about Lee’s inaugural offering, however, is that he’s managed to create clothes that feel as elegant and classically "Bottega" as they do modern and edgy. There are chunky woven dad sneakers and Napa leather trackpants, sure, but the tailored garments are interesting and unexpected too. The black cashmere suit in the collection’s opening look may seem straightforward, for instance, but by way of the elongated jacket line, a narrowed lapel, an expanded origami breast pocket and an ultra-wide trouser, it’s transformed into something extraordinary.
Elsewhere, there’s a perforated leather cabana suit, which looks like it’s been made from an eye-wateringly expensive chamois leather, there’s an atomic yellow wind cheater and there are heavy boots finished with commando soles. The effect taken as a whole is masculine yet elegant, street yet smart. You can just as easily imagine Justin Bieber rocking the brown leather Bermuda shorts as you can Timothée Chalamet in the slim-cut honey-hued suit. It’s a collection with something for everyone (so long as everyone has money to spend).
At Celine, Lee designed elegant, challenging clothes that both empowered women and made them look beautiful – with his first collection for Bottega Veneta it feels like he is attempting to do a similar thing for men. There’s a boldness and originality to the design that feels in step with the other brands in the Kering portfolio, such as Gucci and Saint Laurent. In Lee, Bottega Veneta has found a voice with which to speak to its increasingly demanding customer – a customer who expects stories and surprises from the brands they buy into, as much as expensive clothes made out of expensive fabrics.
In short, if this collection offers even a sniff of the quality of menswear we’ve got to look forward to in 2019 then the horror of 2018 was probably worth it.
*article courtesy of: Gentlemens Quarterly (UK)
https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/bottega-veneta-pre-fall-2019-review
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