Bottega Veneta’s passionate new beginning for AW22.
Following a swift exit of Bottega Veneta’s Creative Director in November 2021, there was immense sparking interest about where the Italian fashion house would take their immense success and complete restructure that occurred under Lee’s direction. Appointing Matthieu Blazy only days after the announcement, it was a natural progression considering his experience with the Italian fashion house. Blazy is no stranger to the Bottega universe, as he was appointed design director in June 2020, working with the Italian fashion house since and aiding all ready-to-wear collections. Blazy’s rich experience has included aiding Raf Simons during his tenure at Dior and his eponymous label, being recruited by Phoebe Philo during her time at Céline, catapulting him as one of the most interesting and hard-working creatives in the industry. With a CV and passion as impressive as his, anything was possible for his debut on Sunday in Milan.
As the first denim looks debuted onto the runway, the devil was in the details, as seemingly classic denim was made entirely from leather, creating an optical illusion from the vivid white rib on the tank top, all the way through the stark blue wash detail onto the trouser. One thing was vividly clear, Blazy and his team will be leading a detail-based approach within Bottega Veneta, that transcends clothing into multiple dimensions – wool coats had brilliantly curved backs, hemlines on wide trousers were finished perfectly, bringing a continuation of shape onto burgundy curved heel platform, completed with a side silver buckle for an added edge.
Confident and cool with a touch of classic contemporary edge, the collection’s beauty stemmed from the natural behaviour of garments, intricate and slick with the message of movement and dynamic, parallel to fashion’s conversation about fashion cycles and longevity. Ushering a simple truth about clothes that stand the test of time, that create joy and emotion with their active physicality, the Bottega Veneta baton was safely passed to a masterful creative that is all about teamwork and lifting each individual’s unique talent, creating a fashion collective rather than sitting on a singular throne of creative self-indulgence.
