Beginnings aren’t always about fresh starts. In fashion, we’ve come to crave newness – a clean slate, a bold departure from the past that we can sink our teeth into. Louise Trotter, however, offered a different take with her Bottega Veneta debut. Her appointment wasn’t designed to usher in a new era, but to carry forward a legacy.
Bottega Veneta has always occupied a singular place in fashion. In recent years, through the visions of Daniel Lee and Matthieu Blazy, it has entered the mainstream lexicon of luxury. And yet, since its inception, the house has distinguished itself by what it refuses to do. It has never relied on logos. It has never chased hype. Trotter’s appointment is masterful. For years, the British designer has been developing an intellectual, mature language in brands like Lacoste and Carven. Here we see the apex of her work.
Blazy’s Bottega was whimsical. Stuffed animal chairs and Intrecciato children’s books: there was a real sense of play. Trotter crystallised it into something more mature. The sense of whimsy was still there, but sharpened, deliberate, as if Trotter were testing the boundaries of what a house so devoted to craftsmanship can achieve. Not just through Intrecciato (though that ankle-length leather coat was mouthwatering), but through other, less expected techniques.
Material experimentation was pushed further: technical fabric dresses were both stiff and light, and feather sleeveless tops jutted out of the body effortlessly. But no other technical feat stood out quite as much as sweaters and skirts made of recycled fibreglass. The first reaction was astonishment, followed by confusion and ultimately awe. In the age of artificial intelligence, we’ve become weary of what we can’t understand. The first of these pieces, a sweater made of blue strands that seemed to shine from within, was hard to think real. As others came out, first in gold and then in a fiery red, the initial disbelief vanished. Similarly, fuzzy skirts in abstract patterns were perhaps even greater, the movement of the legs highlighting their prowess.
It wasn’t all just a parade of showpieces. Trotter punctuated the collection with her characteristic oversized tailoring. Shoulders on sculptural jackets bulged out elegantly. The menswear offers were equally as bright. A fuzzy pair of shorts elongated just past the knees. A structured long coat nipped in the waist almost architecturally, pushing the arms out of rounded shoulders.
Trotter’s appointment at Bottega wasn’t a gap to fill. She wasn’t tasked with revival, nor with cleaning up after a predecessor’s mistakes. And while it may not be as immediately satisfying to point out stark differences, to dissect what is before and after, perhaps that is precisely what makes it more interesting.
Words by Pedro Vasconcelos
