Bottega Veneta SS2521 Images
Christmas came early for fashion heads this week with not one, not two, but three major announcements, squashing some of the industry’s wildest rumours. On Wednesday (December 11), John Galliano announced he would be departing Maison Margiela after ten years as creative director. Then, yesterday (December 12), the news broke that Bottega’s Matthieu Blazy would be exiting the brand and being replaced by British designer, Louise Trotter.
Exactly 45 minutes later came the news that we’d been waiting for since June: Blazy has been confirmed as Chanel’s new creative director. After several, adrenaline-filled days of refreshing inboxes and checking feeds for any more surprise announcements, can fashion finally take a breath? Probably not. But while we have a moment to compose ourselves, let’s take a moment to congratulate Louise Trotter. Her appointment at Bottega is a win for British design, but more so, is a win for women in fashion.
Before yesterday, only eight of the world’s top 30 luxury brands were headed up by female creative directors. Now, that number rises to nine. Though that’s still less than a third, it’s a step (or a trot) in the right direction. It also makes her the only female creative director of a Kering-owned brand, since the departure of Sarah Burton from Alexander McQueen. Below, we get to know Bottega’s new head designer a little better.
“Louise brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to Bottega Veneta’s tradition of bold creativity and unparalleled excellence,” read a statement released by Kering’s deputy CEO, Francesca Bellettini. “She is the ideal creative talent to carry forward the remarkable journey initiated with Matthieu Blazy.” But where exactly did she get that wealth of experience from?
Born in Sunderland, Trotter studied marketing and design at Newcastle Polytechnic and spent the early years of her career working for the beloved British high street brand Whistles. She then relocated to New York, becoming vice-president of womenswear design at Gap, before moving to Calvin Klein, where she was head of womenswear.
After a stint designing at Tommy Hilfiger, Trotter returned to her British highstreet roots, joining Jigsaw as creative director in 2007. Two years later, she moved to Paris, where she became head designer at Joseph, taking over from the brand’s founder Joseph Ettedgui. After nine years at Joseph, she became the creative director of Lacoste, where she worked for five years, until being tapped by French house Carven last year.
The news broke that Trotter would be taking the reins at Carven in February 2023, showing her first collection the following September which received praise from critics. Less than two years later, Bottega came knocking.
French-Belgian designer Matthieu Blazy joined Bottega Veneta three years ago, taking over from Burberry’s Daniel Lee after his sudden departure. The 40-year-old designer who we now know has scored fashion’s top job, attended Brussels’ La Cambre fashion school, before becoming an intern for Balenciaga and John Galliano. His graduate collection caught the eye of Raf Simons, who hired him on the spot. He worked closely with Simons and with his right hand, Pieter Mulier – now creative director at Alaïa – with whom he started a relationship. Together, Blazy and Mulier are one of fashion’s most powerful couples.
Eventually, Blazy left Raf Simons to work for Maison Margiela, before moving to work under Phoebe Philo at Celine. He then returned to work for Simons at Calvin Klein from 2016 to 2019. A year later, he moved to Bottega. “Blazy has made a fetish of craft,” wrote critic Cathy Horyn back in February. He achieved great success during his three years at the Italian house, with Kering reporting record-breaking revenue in 2024, Bottega being the only brand to increase in sales in the third quarter of this year. No wonder Chanel was interested.
“[Trotter’s] aesthetic seamlessly combines exquisite design with sublime craft, and her commitment to cultural advocacy aligns beautifully with our brand vision,” Bottega Veneta chief executive Bartolomeo Rongone said in a statement. “Through her sophisticated lens, Bottega Veneta will continue to celebrate its heritage while preserving modern relevance.”
Bottega’s rising sales and success over the past several years means that a dramatic transformation of the brand is unlikely. After all, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Like Blazy, Trotter shares a deep appreciation for craft, refinement and attention to detail. Whether or not she’ll continue Blazy’s playful signatures such as thick fringing or trompe l’oeil leathers, only time will tell. What’s guaranteed, will be beautifully executed collections from a woman who has elegance engrained into her DNA, that knows what she wants, and most importantly, knows what women want. Louise Trotter, we’ll be seeing you in January.
