BOTTEGA VENETA SS26

The results of the creative director shakeup are in. Pier Paulo Piccioli’s Balenciaga was well made but largely unremarkable. Jonathan Anderson’s womenswear debut was inspiringly unfocused. Duran Lantink’s Jean Paul Gautier show was, to put it plainly, a hot mess. So, when 13 creative directors are debuting and only one is a woman, leave it to Louise Trotter to steal the fucking show.

After successful stints at Tommy Hilfiger, and Lacote, Trotter was tapped as creative director of the Italian quiet-luxury titan, Bottega Veneta. We got our first taste of Trotter’s Bottega in the “Craft is our Language” campaign, where a new logo was debuted accompanied by monochromatic shots of Tyler the Creator. Naturally, this set the internet ablaze, with memes online joking that Bottega Veneta doesn’t even need social media to stay more popular than its fashion contemporaries. 

In recent months, Bottega Veneta has indisputably emerged as an eminent voice in the era of quiet luxury. They have become a veritable household name, famous for label-free bags that invite admiration of craftsmanship over anything else. In lieu of logos, Bottega Veneta is primarily known for its cross-lattice design known as Intreciatto. 

But Trotter doesn’t need to be lectured about the importance of Intreciatto. In fact, she featured the braided-weave design in nearly every single look of the show. A dark mulberry coat with accompanying feathery collar set the tone and from then on it was Intreciatto everything. 

Everywhere you looked, there was Intreciatto—on airy leather pants, on weaved collars, and even on an Intreciatto newspaper. A buttery trench was made entirely of the weave, including its dove grey buckle, and if not immediately obvious, Intreciatto still peaked out from behind asymmetric label flaps on a number of leather jackets. 

Historically, Bottega Veneta has offered nothing short of textile artistry, and that is precisely what Trotter embraced. Together, with a team of artisans, Trotter innovated the house’s famous weave by scaling it down to 3 millimeter strips of leather, which were handwoven over the course of 4,000 hours to create a stunning leather cape. This agonizingly elaborate attention to craftsmanship is exactly what makes Trotter such a good pick for a brand whose legacy rests on heritage and artisanal skill.

A number of looks featured purposefully shrugged shoulder straps, which hinted at Trotter’s other defining message: These clothes are to be worn. What Trotter has captured is perhaps, what Jonathan Anderson was searching for at Dior, and what every other male director couldn’t seem to articulate at this year’s Paris Fashion Week. Trotter is offering us a look at what it means to truly be a Bottega Veneta woman. Given the off-the-shoulder straps on a sleek black  number, a Bottega Veneta woman is imperfect, but she is on-the-go. She is moving fast, but she is moving in style. 

Shimmering faux-fur tops were another standout design choice. The voluminous garments were eye-catching and decidedly intriguing— even more so after it was revealed that they weren’t fur at all, and were actually constructed using recycled fiberglass. The iridescent fluffs of gold, grey and blue made for lovely points of motion, in between albeit heavier leather looks.  

The new Bottega Veneta isn’t just wearable, it’s more artfully-made than before. Between intricate weaves, gorgeous textiles, and an uncompromising commitment to craftsmanship, Louise Trodder has firmly established herself in a league of her own.