Pursuing Daniel Lee’s abrupt departure from Bottega Veneta in the center of a successful turnaround, proprietor Kering has moved promptly to identify a successor, designer Matthieu Blazy — a respected guiding-the-scenes figure who was now waiting in the wings.
Blazy, a former Raf Simons deputy who joined Bottega Veneta in the position of design director last year, will develop into innovative director of the dwelling helpful instantly, owner Kering claimed in a statement Monday.
Blazy worked less than Simons at his namesake model and at Calvin Klein, in addition to working below Phoebe Philo at Celine. He also beforehand served as the designer of Maison Margiela’s “Artisanal” couture line.
When he stays unfamiliar to customers, Blazy has developed a track record amid style insiders for the duration of individuals crucial roles. His identification was saved mystery for the duration of his yrs at Maison Martin Margiela as the dwelling attempted to retain the nameless positioning in the wake of its founder’s departure, until being unmasked in an report by critic Suzy Menkes.
The brief appointment details to a desire by Bottega and its corporate dad or mum, Kering, to demonstrate buyers and traders that there would be continuity at the brand regardless of Lee’s shock departure. Bottega’s similar income rose 2.2 % in 2019, then managed to accelerate very last calendar year despite the coronavirus pandemic hammering luxury profits. Previous 7 days, Kering’s inventory dipped when Lee’s exit was declared, even though it rapidly recovered.
While Kering’s bold revamp of Gucci under designer Alessandro Michele and chief govt Marco Bizzari since 2016 has gained the group a status for supporting radical aesthetic overhauls, the corporation has also shown it can maintain the momentum going through evolution somewhat than revolution following a designer alter: Due to the fact Hedi Slimane’s 2016 departure from Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello has transitioned to a much more female, sexed-up exploration of the brand’s archives when mostly sticking to his predecessor’s monochrome promoting template.
Kering could choose for identical practices at Bottega Veneta. In addition to acquiring presently been onboarded at the brand name, Blazy’s references could have considerable overlap with Lee’s immediately after identical ordeals which includes two a long time functioning jointly underneath Phoebe Philo at Celine. He’s not the only former Simons deputy to locate himself atop a storied brand name: Pieter Mulier turned imaginative director of Paris-dependent Alaïa this calendar year.
Lee’s departure, declared previous week, came as the vogue sector had broadly embraced his tactile, sensual update of the manufacturer.
Because 2018, Lee experienced labored to refresh Bottega Veneta’s line-up of recognizable signatures when retaining its emblem-free of charge positioning: extremely-smooth clutches, sq.-toed pumps and a lurid, special-consequences-display green repopulated the brand’s vocabulary, as properly as a press to play with the texture and proportions of the vintage Intrecciato.
“The extremely sound foundations, certain codes and special id of Bottega Veneta help us to nurture good ambitions for the long run of this luxury dwelling,” Kering’s chairman and main government officer François-Henri Pinault explained in a assertion. “I am assured that Matthieu Blazy’s wealth of knowledge and wide cultural track record will enable him to provide his inventive impetus to the task of carrying on the legacy of Bottega Veneta.”
Discover More:
Daniel Lee Exits Bottega Veneta, Leaving Handful of Clues For What’s Up coming
Unmasking Matthieu Blazy at Margiela
