There was obviously much anticipation surrounding Bottega Veneta’s pre-fall 2019 collection, what would be the first reveal of Daniel Lee’s creative vision for the brand since his appointment in mid-2018. Then labeled as an unexpected choice to lead the luxury label, Lee was tasked with the challenge of making the brand more relevant, particularly to a younger audience.
“I look forward to evolving what has gone before, while contributing a new perspective and modernity,” he said in a statement that announced his appointment as creative director for Bottega Veneta.
Thus the expectation that surrounded the preview of the pre-fall 2019 collection was quite understandable. Lee had previously described his input on the spring collection as merely a “tweak.” But judging by t-his first full-fledged collection, Lee has certainly stayed true to this, placing his own creative stamp on brand with such a distinctive legacy. The focus for Lee is to create a collection that allows one to build a wardrobe with “clothes to live in.”
Primarily a womenswear designer in his previous life, his first unveil for menswear was bound to generate added curiosity. He didn’t disappoint, presenting a collection that is clean, minimalist and certainly modern. There is an easiness to the collection as Lee plays with looser proportions that mix the relaxed with the formal in what has been described as the reality of dressing today.
Presented to journalists from the Asian region, amidst the backdrop of the newly unveiled flagship store located in Ginza, Tokyo, Bottega sought to define “what a Bottega Veneta wardrobe can represent.”
What’s interesting about Lee’s first take on Bottega Veneta is that he is able to establish his own perspective while at the same time remain true to the values of the brand; “a respect for craftsmanship; the nobility of natural material; an Italian heritage.”
Perhaps, the most innovative aspect is the reworking of the ‘intrecciato’ which has been explored in various forms and blown to “maxi-size,” a pretty revolutionary step.
