A new headquarter still under construction next to La Scala, a lesser green carpeting of the runway and an easily understandable line-up of simple shapes and silhouettes made for a very successful debut of Matthieu Blazy at Bottega Veneta last night. Blazy studied at La Cambre in Brussels and then worked for Raf Simons, followed by posts at Maison Martin Margiela, Celine, Calvin Klein and Bottega Veneta. Simons was also a first row guest of the show yesterday along with Blazy’s partner in life Alaïa designer Pieter Mulier. In a way a testament of how much the heirs of the Antwerp Six are having an important say on what’s happening in fashion.
His significant CV for a man in his 30s shows clearly in his clothes and could be summed up with German design god Dieter Rams: less and more. Relying on second-tier designers or promoting from within is promising for Kering, the parent company of Bottega Veneta. Hence, Blazy stayed very much within the design parameters established by his predecessor Daniel Lee. Boxy work wear inspired silhouettes and chunky boots often knee high with giant bags and pouches. One could say he played it safe but in steering the brand back to its Italian craftsmanship roots, he made the right move.
Raf Simons attending Blazy’s debut at Bottega Veneta F/W 2022
The Margiela gene?
Blazy opened with two terrific but super simple looks. A pair of high waisted jeans worn with a tank top on a beautiful Balkan looking beauty and black model with a large back pack pouch thrown over the shoulder. Only the denim is in fact really a printed, supple nubuck.
Opening looks at Matthieu Blazy’s first Bottega Veneta show
Not denim, but leather
The craftmanship?
The bags featuring the hand woven leather intreccio were made from one piece without stitching.
Signature Bottega intreccio
The womenswear?
Blazy relied mostly on mannish tailoring which was souped up with chunky platform heels. Particularly strong was a black double breasted suit worn with orange furry heels. Or a simple white shirt on Julia Nobis worn with black thigh high boots.
Strong tailoring
Julia Nobis walking for Bottega Veneta F/W 2022
Blazy backstage?
With a huge smile on his face, Blazy greeted editors backstage. “My job is to strip things away, layer by layer and see what’s left. That’s my design”, he explained to Achtung. Of course, it’s nice that Bottega Veneta still has the brand heat to push the idea of style over fashion.
The set
Matthieu Blazy, the new creative director of Bottega Veneta
