Daniel Lee, the designer who is thought to reinvigorate the luxury fashion brand Bottega Veneta, is about to leave the brand. The statement announcing the news stated that it was “a joint decision to end cooperation.” But this is a shock to the fashion industry. Lee joined Bottega Veneta in July 2018, quickly making it one of the most sought-after brands in the world. During his tenure, Rihanna, A$AP Rocky and Mary J Blige all wore designs, and accessories including “pouch” bags and woven leather “Lido” sandals were also highly sought after and imitated. Sales in 2019 increased by 2.2% to nearly 1.2 billion euros (£1 billion) and continued to grow in 2020, despite a 23% decline in other luxury goods markets.
Revenue in the third quarter of 2021 increased by 8.9% year-on-year. The rumor factory in the fashion industry has hinted at various reasons behind the spin-off. Lee previously worked at Celine under the leadership of Phoebe Philo. As Philo’s own brand will debut next year, industry insiders speculate that he might join her. “All theories are welcome,” Diet Prada wrote in the Instagram post announcing the news. “Ours? LVMH has dug him back to work for the brand of the same name that Phoebe Philo has not yet unveiled, haha.” “Women’s Wear Daily” stated that Lee’s way of working has been difficult, and many employees have left Bottega Veneta.
It quoted a source who said: “There is no denying his talent, but on a personal level, dealing with relationships is another matter-considering his working hours, usually at night. So many people left, This is a revolving door.” A speech in Detroit last month, and the pressure to put it together, may have caused Lee to leave the brand. GQ’s style director Teo van den Broeke also speculated that work culture may be the culprit. “Has anything unpleasant happened in the well-ventilated studio of Bottega Veneta’s Via Privata Ercole Marelli headquarters in Milan?” he wrote. “It is possible that we will never know, but there is no doubt that the earthquake happened to facilitate this change at such a rapid rate.”
Lee’s Bottega Veneta uses disruptive communication methods. Bottega Veneta deleted the social media account that is now a luxury brand in early 2021. Although this has been hailed as radical-and has since been copied by other brands-other pivots have not been so successful.
Bottega Veneta did not participate in the digital fashion show during the pandemic, and since then only used invitation-style salon-style presentations in London, Berlin and Detroit. An evening party in Berlin in April-during the city’s lockdown-was criticized on social media. “It’s damn immoral, we are in MF lockdown here in Berlin,” wrote influencer Loona Hamilton.
News Source : The Guardian
