The rise of Bottega Veneta under Daniel Lee

After many years in the fashion industry, Bottega Veneta still stands strong. The company was formed in the mid-1960s in Italy by Renzo Zengiaro and Michele Taddei and quickly gained popularity in the Italian leather industry for its high fashioned brand and luxury goods. The 1970s and 80s were the golden years for the company making its name in the fashion industry. The brand was associated with the creme of the society, including celebrities, empresses, and first ladies; some of the notable names included Jacqueline Kennedy, the former first lady of the USA, Farah Pahlavi, the Iranian empress, and many more.

The 1990s and early 2000 were not great years for the company, the founders had already retired, and the fashion industry was changing at a swift pace. It was quickly losing its popularity, and Bottega Veneta needed new management to help in the design and develop products that would be accepted by the millenials, who were the biggest consumers in the market. Tomas Maier was hired; Maier was a creative director who had worked with some of the top fashion industries in the world, including Sonia Rykiel and Guy Laroche. He was able to revive the company by introducing quality footwear and bags with a low profile attitude. He was able to make Bottega Veneta become an international luxury brand it is today by opening stores in different parts of the world, including Milan, London, Paris and New York. It is during his 17 years as a creative director that the company was able to attain $1 billion in revenue and introduction of men and women ready to wear clothing.

After 17 years of ups and downs with Maier, the company had to let him go. The fashion trends had changed, and they needed a young enthusiast creative director who understood more the volatile millennial who were the biggest consumers. 

Daniel Lee and transforming the brand

For many years Bottega has been searching for a young and dynamic creative director to conquer the new fashion market. The decision to hire British designer Daniel Lee as the artistic director in 2018 was the best as it transformed the company. The debut for the new creative director was at Milan fashion week when the company introduced its SS20 collection. The collection had everyone talking from the designers to the fashion industry influencers. Bottega Veneta collections were generously shared on many social media among other big contenders like Saint Laurent, Celine and Chanel.

Daniel Lee has been able to bring back the glory days at the same time, capturing the latest trends while designing and marketing their products. Keeping the traditional styles used by the founders of the Italian brand, lee has been able to offer a different angle for fashion interpretation for the accessories.

After the SS20 show, the brand is gaining more popularity in the world, and specific items, such as padded mules and BV’s Pouch Bag, have been top of the headlines in most of the fashion shows.  The Pouch Bag, a wearable, it is an over-the-shoulder piece whose airy visage is complemented by its supple leather, has been the talk in most talk shows and social media even surpassing some of the iconic products. It has become the top three of the most talked fashion topic at every fashion week.

Under the leadership of the young creative director, Bottega Veneta has been making lots of profit with most of its products in the SS20 collection selling out quickly. The company was able to earn 1.27 and 1.17 billion euros in revenue in 2018 and 2019, respectively. 85% of the income comes from the leather product from the brand.

The Pouch

The Pouch is one of the products the SS20 collection, which was launched in the Milan fashion show. Since its introduction, it has been making lots of noise in the fashion industry. The Pouch has been accepted in the market and has been seen carried by many fashion savvy cool girls and A-listers all over the world. The Pouch is the perfect size to take it either for a day or night event, and its luxurious soft leather makes it classy. Many believe this bag is the IT bag for the season.

The shoe

Daniel lee has used the 90s design in designing Bottega Veneta’s brand new sandal; the square-toed shoes are comfortable and, at the same time, classy. The leather shoe has been appreciated by many people in the world, and currently, it’s hard to scroll for more than 30 seconds without coming across one of these shoes.

These two are the most notable Italian brand products, and there are many others, including ready wear, shoes, etc. We expect a lot more in 2020 from Daniel Lee, including the collection introduced during autumn 2020 by the British designer. After having two great years since joining Bottega Veneta, many people believe 2020 will be the year where we will see lots of changes and the introduction of a new product by the company. According to Lee, the company has a lot in store that will make you amused.

The editorial unit