THE SILENT REVOLUTION

Daniel Lee has radically reinvented the luxury label Bottega Veneta by going against the grain with a kind of stillness and quiet that cuts through all the noise.

By MAX BERLINGER
Photography WALTER PFEIFFER

The luxury Italian fashion brand Bottega Veneta has always been built on an idea of discretion, a certain mystique and gravitas. It’s guiding mantra was once “When your own initials are enough,” meaning that its customers were of the elegant, low-key variety. It was for the in-the-know, not flashy luxury consumers bedecked in logos, chasing the latest “it” item. 

Still it was surprising, even for a label this understated, when Bottega Veneta did away with its social media accounts earlier this year. In the midst of an ongoing pandemic where most fashion companies have only one way to connect with consumers - online - Bottega Veneta made a radical decision: it vanished into the ether, leaving no digital trace to be found.  

But this all fits in with the dramatic renovation the brand has undergone since it appointed the British designer Daniel Lee as Creative Director in June of 2018. The 35-year-old was a relative unknown but came with excellent credentials - he had been in charge of ready-to-wear designs at the French label Celine under the beloved designer Phoebe Philo. So, it was a calculated risk to take Lee and give him the top job at one of the most recognizable fashion houses in the world. 

The risk is paying off. Under Lee, the brand has received a tremendous amount of renewed attention. Just a few seasons in and he’s created product hits like his bulbous quilted bags, its funky rubber boots, square-toed heels, and, perhaps most of all, his unexpected but alluring ready-to-wear. 

Cool and commercial is a tough balance to strike, but Lee seems to have achieved it. “My job is to really make Bottega Veneta part of the fashion conversation,” the designer has said. “But this is a true heritage house, and that is something that moves a lot slower and in a very different way to something that’s ‘fashion.’ Trying to change this house into a fashion brand is a huge task.” 

That may be true but Lee did it almost instantly, with his first collection exuding an immediate sense of palpable cool. The men’s looks, in particular, were austere and yet sophisticated. Lee also took the brand’s signature design motif, the interlacing woven leather called “intrecciato” and blew it up, making carryall tote bags of huge, interlocking panels of contrasting leather. 

“Fashion, for me - it’s a conversation with the world,” Lee explains of his design process. “You take in everything around you, you process that, and you regurgitate it into whatever you choose. I don’t think a designer works in isolation in a room and reads a book, and then says, ‘Hey, presto, here’s a collection.’ To me, it’s really about a conversation with the team, it’s about simulation and seeing and feeling a bit of the action and energy on the street.” 

Since his first runway show for Fall 2018, Lee has brought the raw, dynamic energy of the club scene to the runway. One can glimpse hints of Berlin’s hardcore dance-all-night vibe in those quilted, tough leather pieces while the entwined panels of sweaters recall the sensual knitwear favored by classical dances - they also happen to be another nod to the maison’s intrecciato pattern. There were leather biker pants and the oversized Chelsea boots that became instant items of desire. Lee has spoken about his love of dancing, and particularly the freedom he found at clubs, as a source of inspiration, a pastime he would partake in during his time at school. “It felt so freeing to go from an environment that was very studious and serious into such a hedonistic space, '' he said. “I loved that sense of the unpredictable. I loved spending time with people who really didn’t care what others thought of them. As a young child, you’re very aware of what people think of you, and then in your teenage years you start to realize there is power in being as individual as you can possibly be.” 

Since those early collections, Lee has continued to develop a clear point-of-view about what Bottega Veneta means today - a brand that is both luxurious and makes products that are unexpected and utterly desirable. “What Bottega represents is an idea of true luxury that I really don’t feel is so much around right now,” he said shortly after being appointed the label’s creative director. “We speak about quality, a timeless elegance, an almost quiet confidence, which I think is the opposite to all the noise we see around us.”

Lee was born and raised in Bradford, in Northern England, raised by a mechanic father and stay-at-home mother. The oldest of three says, “I didn’t really know that much about fashion. There is no fashion where I’m from,” and remembers himself as an academic, nerdy child. Still, he loved making things, and that led him to Central Saint Martins, in London, and then to internships at storied brands like Maison Margiela and Balenciaga, under the designer Nicolas Ghesquière. 

But before Bottega, his most influential job was at Celine. “The biggest thing I learned? To always push harder and try and make things as best you can. At Celine, we definitely pushed it as far as we could. You know, I’ve had some great mentorships. I’ve worked with some amazing creative directors in the past, and each one has taught me many things. But I think you have to stay true to yourself and work from the gut.”

Bottega Veneta - which in Italian, roughly translates to “venetian shop” - was founded in 1966 and had garnered a reputation as being luxurious, beautiful, but a bit safe - or as Lee has called it, “a sleeping giant.” It has the benefit of its recognizable intrecciato weave, a dedicated customer, a healthy leather goods business, and the long-time dedication of the designer Tomas Maier. With things going well, it’s always a risk to change things up, but Kering, the company that owns Bottega Veneta, brought in Lee with an eye for repositioning the brand with younger consumers. 

It’s definitely worked but Lee insists he’s not big on strategy and more of a designer that works from instinct. “I think over-strategizing can kill creativity,” he said. “You don’t know what’s going to work. And what will work is what’s not already there.” He points to a hit clutch bag that’s puffy and oddly proportioned but spread like wildfire on Instagram. “You look at the Pouch bag: there’s no logo, there’s no shoulder strap, it’s not particularly practical and from any logistical, strategic way of thinking it wouldn’t be a success. But it is. You can’t always put your finger on why that is.”  

That ineffable quality has led to a boost in sales, and accolades from the fashion establishment - in 2019 he won an unprecedented four awards at the British Fashion Awards, including designer and brand of the year. He amassed celebrity followers like the members of the K-Pop band BTS, who allegedly love the brand so much they buy the clothes out of pocket. Rihanna and Kylie Jenner are fans. 

A year in lockdown hasn’t dampened the Bottega Veneta renaissance currently underway, and with the possibility of life post-COVID on the horizon, the luxury brand is poised to remain at the head of the fashion pack. But don’t expect that to mean some big splashy event or show - as Lee has proven, going against the grain can work in your favor. 

“Bottega is a brand that talks about sophisticated elegance,” said Lee. “It’s almost about being quiet. A silence in all the noise. A kind of stillness. For me, life is really all about living in the moment. I don’t have social media. I try and use my cell phone as little as possible. I definitely prefer human interaction.” Human interaction in an age of digital is a radical notion, but Lee is an unexpectedly radical thinker. “Design is also about living in the moment. It’s about working with whatever you have at hand and making the best of a situation.”