Daniel Lee leaves Bottega Veneta

Daniel Lee gave us 2021’s most memorable accessories. And for that (and much more) he will always be remembered.

Remember the ‘It’ shoe of 2019? Bottega Veneta’s signature Intrecciato weave, once smaller in width and more delicate in appearance, was lent a bigger and punchier cut by Lee shortly after arriving at the House in 2018. Sandals and pumps were treated with blown-up-effect leather, made to almost look puffy. The off-kilter, against the grain treatment was extended to bags -- the Bottega Pouch for example, a big beautiful cloud-bag, comforting in size and secured with a tight hug under the arm. We saw it balancing between the elbow and hip of the most stylish set. Rosie Huntingron Whiteley. Rihanna. Deepika Padukone. 

The story of Daniel Lee at Bottega Veneta is a curious one. An Englishman plucked from the scene at Celine after Phoebe Philo’s departure, and placed at the helm of a legacied Italian fashion house. The designer who had cut his teeth at Maison Margiela and Donna Karan after a degree at the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London, produced his first collection for the label in 2018. Therein began the resetting of classical codes. 

In the following weeks and months, as the designer began to unveil more collections, cash registers were sent ringing worldwide. Quickly, Lee had rendered a new minimalist edge to the House’s DNA, taking the label’s expert skill set in artisanship and knifing it into something that felt urbanely glossy and ultra-contemporary. Sales of the label rose 2.2 percent to nearly €1.2 billion in 2019 and managed to keep growing through 2020, a year when the coronavirus pandemic saw the broader luxury market fall by 23 percent, according to consultancy Bain.

Three years later, last night, in a moment of conscious uncoupling, Bottega Veneta announced its departure from the designer. What could this mean for the heritage brand at the summit of its sales (and might I add, popularity)? 

Reshuffles in fashion are not new. Riccardo Tisci left Givenchy for Burberry. Demna Gvasalia put Vetements on the backburner for a career catapult at Balenciaga. Maria Grazia Chiuri, one half of Valentino, left the Italia mega house for Parisian brand, Dior. Heck, Raf Simons left it all to become co-creative alongside his mentor and icon, Miuccia Prada. The movements are endless, and so is the revolving door of fashion. 

“My time at Bottega Veneta has been an incredible experience,” Lee said in a statement. “I am grateful to have worked with an exceptional and talented team and I am forever thankful to everyone who was part of creating our vision.” Kering chairman François-Henri Pinault thanked Lee for his “singular vision” that “made the house’s heritage relevant for today and put it back to the center of the fashion scene.”

Speculators have called it a surprise split, guessing vociferously what the next move for the non-descript creative will be. But after a steady hand stitching a new conversation into the cult brand, maybe it was time for a reset. Personal and professional. As for Bottega Veneta’s next meteoric move. Time will tell. The statement last night left it at a cliff-hanger with the words: "A new creative organization for the House will be announced soon." Here's to an all-new @newbottega.

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