Bottega Veneta Names Matthieu Blazy as New Creative Director
Following Daniel Lee’s abrupt departure.
Bottega Veneta has appointed Matthieu Blazy as its new creative director, following Daniel Lee’s sudden exit from the brand.
In a manner similar to how Gucci promoted Alessandro Michele, formerly a behind-the-scenes designer working for the Italian house, to the creative director role in 2015, Bottega Veneta — also part of the luxury group Kering — searched for Lee’s successor internally. Blazy, who joined Bottega Veneta under Lee’s helm, became the brand’s ready-to-wear design director just last year.
A graduate of renowned Brussels visual arts school La Cambre, the Paris-born, French-Belgian designer cut his teeth at Raf Simons as its menswear designer before working with Maison Margiela on its Artisanal line and women’s ready-to-wear range. He then joined Phoebe Philo-era CELINE and became senior designer in 2014. Prior to landing a job at Bottega Veneta, Blazy worked with Raf again at Calvin Klein from 2016 to 2019.
In a press release, Bottega Veneta CEO Leo Rongone described Blazy as “an extraordinarily talented individual.” He said: “Bottega Veneta has always been equated with signature craftsmanship and distinctive creativity. Matthieu’s appointment will further enhance the modern relevance of our brand and accelerate our growth, while preserving the values that are at the core of Bottega Veneta.”
Kering chairman and CEO François-Henri Pinault also shared: “The very solid foundations, specific codes and unique identity of Bottega Veneta enable us to nurture great ambitions for the future of this luxury House. I am confident that Matthieu Blazy’s wealth of experience and broad cultural background will allow him to bring his creative impetus to the task of carrying on the legacy of Bottega Veneta.”
Blazy’s first collection for Bottega Veneta will be revealed in February, 2022.
