For his sophomore collection, Bottega Veneta creative director Matthieu Blazy continues to reconnect the Italian luxury fashion house with its roots in leather craftsmanship. In a vibrant world created by renowned Italian multidisciplinary architect and designer Gaetano Pesce, Blazy’s Bottega takes on a “perverse banality,” with unassuming looks from the ‘90s and 2000s reimagined through the eyes of artisans.
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Like his debut collection, the first half of Bottega Veneta SS23 was a subtle take on stealth wealth, with classic normcore pieces crafted from supple nubuck leather. Case in point: a seemingly unassuming flannel and jeans worn by Kate Moss. Proposing the notion that true luxury is felt rather than seen, each piece represents a dialogue between maker and wearer, with the full depth of each garment remaining indiscernible to the external viewer.
“The premise is simple – the collection is about a contrast of characters on the go, invited to travel through Gaetano Pesce’s landscape,” says Matthiew Blazy of the collection. “Here, two distinct worlds are juxtaposed, while our journey of craft in motion and quiet power continues.”
Creating harmony between elegance and utility, a panoply of everyday garments is composed using premium materials and artisanal techniques. The set designed by Pesce serves to further delineate the public and private worlds, with a cast of characters moving in a self-assured fashion through the unpredictable landscape.
All archetypal garments — think plaid, chinos, jeans — are crafted from printed supple nubuck; while a fur coat is actually mock fox printed on goat. The Boccioni-inspired suiting silhouette explored in Blazy’s inaugural collection is revisited, albeit in a sleeker, more aerodynamic way. As the collection wolves, rather than juxtaposing the bold flooring laid out by Pesce, models begin to clash with it. Knotted wool silk in spirited shades resembles bouclé; while mid0century flowers are sewn onto Chandelier dresses, with the delicate embroidery layered on cotton crepe gauze over sheer nylon jersey, representing the union and inevitable tension between past and future.
“Moving between the archetypal and the individual, through clothing and character, I wanted to design not just for one woman or one man, but for women and men,” says Blazy. “The whole world in a small room.”














































































































































Words by T. Angel