Kering announces the departure of Matthieu Blazy… and the arrival of Louise Trotter as artistic director of Bottega Veneta

The press release came out on December 12, but rumors of his departure had been fueling the specialized press since mid-November. Thus, Matthieu Blazy leaves his position as creative director of Bottega Veneta after three years of (very) good and loyal service. Milan Fashion Week is losing one of its headliners as the 40-year-old designer, born to French and Belgian parents and raised in Paris, managed to make his shows a moment of grace and creation.

Even before stepping into the spotlight with his appointment at Bottega Veneta, Matthieu Blazy enjoyed an immense reputation in the fashion industry where he worked with the best, from Raf Simons (for his brand and for Calvin Klein), to Nicolas Ghesquière from the Balenciaga period, from Maison Margiela (in charge of the so-called Artisanal couture collection) to Céline by Phoebe Philo. His first fashion show for the Italian brand in February 2022 instantly validated his vision as artistic director and made an impression with, among other things, his trompe-l'oeil leather jeans and tank tops – “The brand does not have, like many French luxury houses, this weight of heritage. Here, there existed for me a field of possibilities, something to invent,” he said in a major interview at Figaro in 2024.

Better still, his culture and his refreshing love of fashion place him on the side of the “creators” in the noblest sense, when his curiosity encourages him to build bridges with other artists or designers like the legendary Gaetano Pesce who, a few months before his death, created the Come Stai? chair series for his summer 2023 fashion show. In three years at the head of the Italian house, Matthieu Blazy has resolved the circle between craftsmanship and fashion, tradition and avant-garde, and above all managed to define a silhouette with chic that is both soft and singular, cerebral but without posture. His approach to femininity also escapes caricature, his wife being neither fatal, nor an overwhelming business woman, nor an extravagant influencer. Just an intelligent woman, like Claudie Haigneré who inspired her, in 2006, her graduation collection at the National School of Visual Arts of La Cambre, in Brussels, of which she is a pure product – and it's a compliment.

And it is therefore a very talented woman, Louise Trotter, who will take over in the studio of the brand based in Milan. In a press release, she said: “ I am very honored to join Bottega Veneta as Creative Director. The Maison's historic legacy of art and innovation is a true source of inspiration, and I look forward to contributing to its future and celebrating its timeless vision. »
Francesca Bellettini, Kering deputy general manager in charge of home development, added: “ Louise Trotter brings immense experience and a fresh perspective to Bottega Veneta's tradition of bold creativity and unparalleled excellence. She is the ideal creative talent to continue, alongside Leo Rongone and the Bottega Veneta teams, the formidable journey initiated by Matthieu Blazy, to whom I express all my gratitude for his visionary creativity. »

The British designer has been working at Carven since February 2023. The 50-year-old from Sunderland, UK, studied fashion design at Newcastle University. During the 1990s, she joined the design studio of the English label Whistles, then became vice-president of creation for Calvin Klein ready-to-wear in 2001, before occupying similar positions at Gap and Tommy Hilfiger. In 2009, her appointment at Joseph propelled her into the limelight. For nine years, his sober but well-thought-out wardrobe for the London brand stood out during London Fashion Week. Building on this success, she launched the men's and accessories lines. Across the Channel, the press crowned her among “the most influential women in British fashion“. In 2018, she joined Lacoste but struggled to find her feet in this house which oscillates between sportswear and fashion. At the start of 2023, she left the crocodile brand for Carven, where in just three collections she had managed to leave her mark, her minimal as well as radical look, in the very Parisian house founded by Marie Louise Carven (née Carmen de Tommaso) in 1945. She will therefore take up her position at Bottega Veneta at the end of next January but should only present her first collection in Milan in October 2025.

One question remains unanswered for the moment: where will we find Matthieu Blazy? The answer should come soon. And looks particularly exciting…