The luxury brand that throws social media away: The story of Bottega Veneta

The Italian brand, which was suddenly revived when it was purchased by the Gucci Group, one of the world's leading luxury groups, in 2001, was considered as a case study in some universities with its successes.

Bottega Veneta, which increased its sales after being included in the Gucci Group, is among the brands with the highest profit in the luxury industry, where competition is fierce.

Bottega Veneta is an Italian luxury fashion house based in Milan, Italy. Its product lines include ready-to-wear, handbags, shoes, accessories, and jewelry; and it licenses its name and branding to Coty, Inc. for fragrances.

In essence, Bottega Veneta was founded as a family business in Venice in 1966 to manufacture bags, shoes, belts, wallets, in short, leather accessories.

Although it became an international brand in a short time with its classic and elegant style, its sale to the Gucci Group could not be prevented. What do they say; Big fish always eats little fish...

Although his move to Gucci and the hiring of Giles Decon as chief designer kicked off his rise again, the firm made its breakthrough with the takeover of German designer Tomas Maier and additional support from the Gucci Group.

Tomas Maier's adherence to the brand's essence, luxury and original heritage, with timeless and handcrafted designs that require first-class mastery, became the brand's alternative to Hermes.

BATTLE WITH THE LOGO

"I don't like logos because they're distracting. When we concentrate on a logo, we can't see things as they are. My feelings about it have never changed over time. I've always believed quality is more important than the name."

With these words, Tomas Maier shows his point of view on the logo and especially the bags with the logo. While the successful designer's closest competitors are floundering in the market with bags with logos, Bottega Veneta proves that it is possible to exist without a logo with its soft leather, simple, functional, and different designs.

LOOKS APPEAL

Of course, the name Bottega Veneta doesn't just mean luxury bags and shoes. The company also creates timeless designs with its ready-to-wear collections... The biggest feature of Maier was that it prepared unpretentious and unique collections that could be worn at all times, regardless of trends.

Bottega Veneta, which is among the top 100 brands that come to mind when luxury is mentioned in a study conducted in America, is on the rise with its ready-to-wear collection, but the brand's leather products, especially bags, are more popular than clothing.

Including Hollywood celebrities. There's already a tiny bit of Bottega Veneta fanfare in Hollywood.

Names such as Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Aniston, Gwenyth Paltrow, and Penelope Cruz cannot give up Bottega dresses and accessories, which they consider as status symbols.

January 2021

Why did Bottega Veneta close all social media accounts?

The brand's Instagram account, which has 2.5 million followers, was completely deleted.

The same is true for the brand's Twitter account. The official Facebook page is still online, but all content, including every photo and post, has been completely cleaned. Only profile photos remain.

This radical move came after a special presentation called “Hall 01 London”, which the brand announced in London in December 2020 and to which only a select group of known celebrities were invited.

Daniel Lee, who started his duty as the creative director at Bottega Veneta within the Kering Group in October 2019, is one of the most popular designers of the last year with his designs that have turned into objects of desire, but he is known for his distant attitude towards popularity and social media in his close circle. Unlike many creative directors, Lee has no social media accounts. “Bottega is a brand that speaks of sophisticated elegance. It's almost about being quiet. It represents silence among all the noise. For me, life really means living in the moment. That's why I don't have social media. I try to use my cell phone as little as possible. I prefer 100 percent human interaction,” he clarifies.

December 2021

Bottega Veneta has appointed Matthieu Blazy as their new creative director to highlight continuity with the brand after Daniel Lee's abrupt departure last week.

Bottega Veneta, which spent its last years in a big change, managed to enter the most talked about luxury brands with the innovative attitude it added to its body. Guiding its designs and social media steps with the understanding of 'New Bottega Veneta', the brand took another step that emphasized continuity and chose Belgian designer Matthieu Blazy as its new creative director. Moreover, Blazy is not a new face for the brand. He was promoted to the top creative role after the departure of designer Daniel Lee, who had previously served as assistant to Raf Simsons and the brand's design director. Blazy was considered by the brand as the second most important name after Daniel Lee.

Leo Rongone, CEO of Bottega Veneta, said about Matthieu Blazy, "I am very excited and proud that Matthieu Blazy is individually incredibly talented, and I am very proud to entrust the helm of our luxury fashion house", signaling that the harmony between Blazy and the brand has been achieved.

Familiar with Bottega Veneta's vision and look, Matthieu Blazy's resume is also quite strong. Born in Paris in 1984, Matthieu Blazy graduated from La Cambre in Brussels and entered the fashion world with Maison Martin Margiela's Artisanal series and created clothing codes for women. In 2014, he was transferred as senior designer for Céline, where he worked with Phoebe Philo and Daniel Lee, and was handpicked for the role by Philo. He then continued his career at Calvin Klein, under the chief creative director of Raf Simons, from 2016-2019. Most recently, Blazy has served as design director at Bottega Veneta since 2020. Now he is the new creative director of the brand.