Matthieu Blazy is finally getting his due recognition, and without the veil of anonymity. After cutting teeth designing for some of the biggest brands in the business—from Phoebe Philo's Céline to Maison Martin Margiela—the newly appointed creative director showcased his vision for (what I'll henceforth refer to as) new, new Bottega Veneta.
It's no mean feat stepping into the position that was previously filled by Daniel Lee. His Philo-esque designs and reimagining of Bottega Veneta's Intrecciato technique, helped to modernise the house. For autumn/winter 2022, it did seem as though Blazy was steering towards something along the same vein but done in a more cerebral manner. There was still a focus on craftsmanship and simplicity in design, but for Blazy, the concept was realised in a more rounded approach.
For starters, Blazy thought about the ready-to-wear pieces as moving sculptures—that the experience of watching the show through screens wouldn't necessarily give the overall view of the entire silhouette. The inspiration came from Italian painter and sculptor Umberto Boccioni's 'Unique Forms of Continuity in Space', translating that idea into voluminous constructions as a result of specific paper-cutting techniques. This provided an oddly satisfying profile where the clothes felt more three-dimensional when seen from the sides.
But of course, with Bottega Veneta, there's the Intrecciato that's synonymous with the house. Blazy further reimagined the signature in a myriad of ways but at the same time, taking it back to the look of the original—fine and somewhat basket-like. New, new Bottega is set to be respectful of the past but going full steam ahead towards the future.
Look and feel: "Bottega Veneta is in essence pragmatic because it is a leather goods company. Because it specialises in bags, it is about movement, of going somewhere; there is fundamentally an idea of craft in motion. It is style over fashion in its timelessness. That is part of its quiet power," Blazy introduces in the show notes.
Looking through the entire autumn/winter 2022 collection, there was a sense of movement and destination in everything that walked down the runway. Each look was made to be worn outside of the home (it's time, after all) but perhaps, without the kind of restrictive silhouettes. There's freedom in construction—from generously cut leather trousers to oversized T-shirts—that seemed light and airy despite the at times heavy fabrications.
There was also an element of trompe-l'œil that showed off Bottega Veneta's craftsmanship. Look 2's deceptively simple pairing of a striped shirt and denim jeans, was actually crafted from nubuck that was specifically printed to achieve that effect. What a way to debut, indeed.
Favourite looks: Look 11's all-navy look that's then accented with a massive white Intrecciato clutch and brown Intrecciato shoes, was so simple but beautifully crafted and finished. Then there's the 360-construction of look 14 that consisted of a coat-and-trousers pairing, and finished off with brown leather boots as well as gloves—again, simple but luxuriously detailed and crafted. For something even simpler, there's look 34 that's probably another iteration of the deceptive nubuck design (the T-shirt and striped shirt were quite possibly made from leather) but worn with buttery leather trousers.
And lastly, look 53's patchwork cardigan proved that the house's expertise doesn't lie solely on leather. The cardigan itself is made with different knitting techniques and yarns, and then texturally juxtaposed against leather trousers. Simply sublime.
Favourite accessories: Considering that it's his debut, Blazy didn't stick to just one new bag but instead, expanded on quite a number of ideas. But the key highlight was the Kalimero bag (looks 2, 22 and 33)—a unique design that was completely woven without stitching and worn slung over the shoulder. It'll be interesting to see the bag in real life and test out its wearability, but definitely one to keep an eye out for.
There were also a host of other leather Intrecciato bags that caught my eye. One of them was the large cuboid clutches (looks 11, 60 and 62) that came in a variety of colours and looked as though they fit just about anything one would require on the daily and more.
