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Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bottega Veneta Through the Years
It's hard to imagine Bottega Veneta, which last year surpassed the 1.6 billion euro mark and has reached global brand status, as a struggling, off-the-radar, near bankrupt leather goods label back in 2001 — and many may have forgotten that the acquisition of the brand was spearheaded by Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole, who were leading the then-Gucci Group. De Sole at the time revealed that Bottega Veneta had been at the top of the list of his acquisition targets, and with Ford, realized the brand's strong heritage based on high-quality leather accessories and shoes and Italian craftsmanship had huge potential. He believed the brand could exponentially grow its revenues, which in 2000 amounted to approximately $50 million. More from WWD Here's Why Tracee Ellis Ross Used a Height-illusion Styling Hack in Bottega Veneta Boots for Kendrick Lamar's Concert in Los Angeles Steve Madden Said He's 'Nicked' Luxury Shoes, Not Making Designer Ripoffs: 'It's Like Calling the Beatles a Knockoff Band' Ayesha Curry Shines in Crystal-embellished Aquazzura Heels and Rabanne Crop top at Time 100 Impact Dinner Ford did not get involved in the design of the collection, as he was taking over the over the design of the Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche rtw line, which Gucci Group acquired in November 1999. Instead, Tomas Maier was appointed to the role of creative director of Bottega Veneta. Initially, Gucci Group bought a 66.67 percent stake in Bottega Veneta via a capital investment of $96.2 million and the purchase of shares from its stockholders for $60.6 million, for a total of $156.8 million. The remaining 33.33 percent was in the hands of its shareholders — the Moltedo family. The company was founded in 1966 in Vicenza, Veneto, by Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro. Shortly after Zengiaro left Bottega Veneta at the end of the '70s, Taddei handed over the company to his ex-wife Laura Braggion, who headed the company with her second husband Vittorio Moltedo, and was the brand's creative director. She would contribute to the early success of the brand in the U.S., becoming an assistant of Andy Warhol, whose studios made the short film 'Bottega Veneta Industrial Videotape' in 1985, and opened the first store there in New York in 1972. The brand had achieved success in the '60s and '70s as an expression of high quality, discreet elegance and craftsmanship. At the time of the takeover, Bottega Veneta had 12 directly operated stores in the U.S., five in Europe and four in Asia, and the Italian luxury group mapped out its strategy to control distribution in Japan — historically a strong market for the brand – including the operation of 19 stores. Ohio-born Edward Buchanan joined Bottega Veneta after graduating from Parsons School of Design in 1995, and with creative director Laura Moltedo, he was tasked with developing the brand's first ready-to-wear collection as design director. The first fashion show for the brand was staged in October 1998 at Palazzo Serbelloni. Buchanan left the company after six years to launch his own Leflesh brand with Manuela Morin, also a Bottega Veneta alumna, and Giles Deacon joined the creative team for one year. The Moltedos exited Bottega Veneta shortly after Gucci Group's acquisition and Patrizio di Marco was recruited from Céline, where he was president of U.S. operations, to join Bottega Veneta as chief operating officer in May 2001. The following month, he was promoted to CEO, while at the same time, Tomas Maier was tapped as the brand's creative director, thereby setting up Bottega Veneta for its reinvention. The German-born Maier, who had spent nine years at Hermès and previously worked at Guy Laroche and Sonia Rykiel, was an unlikely savior for a company steeped in Italian tradition. But the tenets he set down — no logos and no compromises — redefined Bottega Veneta in an era of luxury branding run amok. The women's rtw line had made its debut in October 1997 and was briefly scrapped by Gucci. Maier reinstated it and in 2004, the company introduced menswear and quickly established its signature look: refined, realistic and steadily evolving, never trendy. From the brand's signature Intrecciato woven leather bags and leveraging the strength of its artisans, the history and cultural background of the region itself, Maier had set to create a lifestyle label. As the '90s logo mania raged on, he was attracted by the brand's tag line that resonated with the designer, who preferred sophisticated designs promoting individualism: 'When your own initials are enough.' Di Marco was tasked with repositioning Bottega Veneta in the luxury range, which was a tough call because the brand had strayed from its roots and diluted its brand DNA by embracing a flashier, less luxurious identity and had very little left of the old archives. The clarity of the vision and its disciplined execution paid off, and, after structuring its global organization and distribution, growing revenues more than tenfold in six years, in 2009 di Marco left the company on a high note and was called to lead the Gucci brand, succeeding Mark Lee as CEO. In January 2009, Marco Bizzarri, previously at Stella McCartney, was appointed president and CEO of Bottega Veneta, and although his arrival coincided with the global recession, he also succeeded in leading the brand through another growth phase. He continued to build the brand on discreet luxury and craftsmanship, establishing new 108,000-square-foot headquarters in Milan and investing in the company's human resources by providing its employees with a new headquarters in 2013 — the stately 18th-century Villa Schroeder-Da Porto, ensconced in a park about 16 miles from Vicenza, in the Veneto region of northern Italy. The site obtained the LEED Certification at the Platinum level developed by the Green Building Council, helping Bottega Veneta to become the first Italian company to reach that level in the fashion and luxury sector. The building included the atelier, management and administrative offices, storage of precious hides, the archives comprising 5,000 bags, a museum, a restaurant and its own school of artisan, which was internalized. Bottega Veneta conservatively restored the 54,000-square-foot villa, which is protected by the Italian government's department in charge of historic buildings and monuments, maintaining its local-stone facade, portals, columns, statues and fountains. He drove growth in Asia and further expanded the brand's retail footprint, opening a flagship in Milan. In 2014, Bizzarri went on to become CEO of Kering's newly created Couture and Leather Goods division, directly supervising most of Kering's luxury brands. Former Valentino and Ermenegildo Zegna Group executive Carlo Alberto Beretta was appointed CEO of Bottega Veneta in January 2015 and exited a year later, succeeded by former Hugo Boss CEO Claus-Dietrich Lahrs, at a time when the brand was impacted by the luxury downturn, as analysts lamented a lack of product innovation, imbalanced pricing architecture and over-dependence on the Chinese and tourist clientele and limited brand awareness in developed markets. In 2018, after 17 years, Maier left Bottega Veneta. Under his tenure, revenues went from 48 million euros to almost 1.2 billion euros in 2017, but the brand had struggled to keep up with rapid changes in the consumer landscape, as demand waned in its key market, Asia, and it failed to tap into a Millennial audience. He was succeeded by Daniel Lee, previously director of ready-to-wear at Céline, which followed earlier stints at Maison Margiela, Balenciaga and Donna Karan. In Sept. 2019, Bartolomeo Rongone, who goes by the name of Leo, previously COO at Saint Laurent, succeeded Lahrs. Lee helped revive the brand, turning it into a hot selling ticket and a trend-setting, influential label, injecting a new and youthful spirit to the collections. His designs, especially the accessories — from the signature Pouch bag, which was introduced in his first collection in 2019, or the Cassette bag and the Lido sandals — all flew off the shelves. He built momentum for the brand with disruptive strategies like erasing its Instagram account and staging traveling fashion shows in locations including London, Berlin and Detroit. In a surprising split, Lee exited the company in November 2021, which was deemed by several sources as a layoff, given the designer's complex personality. According to sources, Bottega Veneta was losing key figures within the company, starting from prized and highly skilled veteran artisans at the company's headquarters in Vicenza to pivotal managers who clashed with Lee, who was often described as uncommunicative. Matthieu Blazy, previously design director, was promoted internally, a few days after, and held his first show as creative director on Feb. 26, 2022. The event marked the brand's return to Milan Fashion Week and did not disappoint retailers and the press, as the collection was praised for respecting yet evolving the codes of the house and its precise and chic tailoring and strong accessories. Rongone helped Bottega Veneta log a 24.2 percent increase in revenues in 2021 compared with 2020, surpassing the 1.5 billion euro mark. Compared with 2019, revenues rose 32 percent. The CEO and Blazy were planning to move the company's new headquarters in Milan's Palazzo San Fedele. The executive has further driven the exclusivity of the brand by eliminating all markdowns and by streamlining the brand's wholesale accounts — increasing the number of concessions and also taking over online partners. During his tenure, Matthieu Blazy heated up Bottega Veneta and his inventive designs and fabrics research helped fuel the brand's business and expand it in key markets. His successful trajectory led him to nab the creative director job at Chanel, starting in 2025 and succeeding Virginie Viard. Louise Trotter was appointed to lead Bottega Veneta, leaving her role as creative director of Carven on Jan. 24, 2025. Trotter joined Carven in February 2023 and her first collection for the brand bowed in September 2023 during Paris Fashion Week. Carven had been absent from the runways and without a marquee designer for several years. Trotter reignited the label with her quietly sensual designs and her focus on textures would gel with Bottega Veneta and her predecessor's work at the brand. Before Carven, Trotter held the same role for four years at Lacoste. She studied fashion design at Newcastle University, and worked at contemporary British label Whistles before moving Stateside to design for Calvin Klein, and later Gap and Tommy Hilfiger. Trotter returned to London for a stint at Jigsaw and then served as creative director of Joseph from 2009 to 2018, a period of product diversification and international expansion for the brand. During her four-year tenure at Lacoste, she beefed up the womenswear offering and explored innovative methods of upcycling. Best of WWD Chanel's Ambassadors Over The Years Ranking Fashion's Longest-serving Creative Directors The Biggest Designer Exits of 2024: John Galliano, Matthieu Blazy, Hedi Slimane, Kim Jones, Virginie Viard and More Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Malay Mail
08-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Vessira Announces Global Debut at Dubai INDEX 2025: Italian-Asian Luxury Furniture Brand Targets Southeast Asian Growth
Ms. Lim SHANGHAI, CHINA - Media OutReach Newswire - 8 May 2025 - Vessira, the Shanghai-rooted luxury furniture brand blending Italian craftsmanship with refined Asian aesthetics, will make its international debut at the Dubai INDEX Exhibition 2025, held from May 27–29 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The event marks a pivotal launchpad for the brand's expansion across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, including key markets such as Indonesia and itself at the intersection of global luxury and cultural craftsmanship, Vessira offers collections that unite the precision of Italian materials—including Carrara marble, walnut, and brass—with a design language inspired by Asian minimalism and warmth. The result: timeless, curated furniture that elevates space through elegance, subtlety, and Without Borders Vessira's entry into the Middle Eastern market is a critical milestone in its global strategy. 'Dubai is the gateway,' says a company spokesperson. 'It connects East and West, and reflects the kind of cross-cultural fluency Vessira stands for.' Following its showcase at INDEX, the brand plans to build regional partnerships in hospitality, luxury residential, and boutique design, supported by future showrooms and curated project operations based in Shanghai, Vessira draws on its strategic location to work closely with Asia's design capitals, while maintaining its commitment to quality through longstanding relationships with Italian ateliers and global for a New Era of Luxury Vessira isn't just a brand—it's a philosophy of modern living. Each piece is created with enduring value in mind: sustainable, ethically sourced, and crafted to age gracefully over time. The brand avoids short-term trends, opting instead for designs that reflect calm sophistication and architectural signature aesthetic embraces soft silhouettes, creamy marbles, earthy tones, and artisanal joinery, curated for clients who seek more than decoration—they seek identity and emotion in every Reimagined Founded by Fransisca Lim, a Chinese-Indonesian entrepreneur with family roots in luxury property and hospitality development across Shanghai and Jakarta, Vessira channels a legacy of refined living into tangible form. While Lim's name is not the focus of the brand, her vision—shaped by both heritage and a global perspective—continues to guide its Ahead Following its debut in Dubai, Vessira will continue expanding into markets with a strong appetite for design-led luxury, including Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Long-term plans include establishing regional showrooms and flagship experiences that bring the brand's cross-cultural ethos to #vessira #vessiradubai #vessirainternational #luxuryliving #homeliving #italianfurniture #indexexhibitiondubai #indexexhibition2025 The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About Vessira Vessira is a Shanghai-based luxury furniture brand that fuses Italian materials with Asian design sensibilities. Focused on sustainable craftsmanship and global storytelling, the brand serves high-end residential and hospitality markets with a vision rooted in heritage and shaped for the future of living.
Zawya
08-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Vessira Announces Global Debut at Dubai INDEX 2025: Italian-Asian Luxury Furniture Brand Targets Southeast Asian Growth
SHANGHAI, CHINA - Media OutReach Newswire - 8 May 2025 - Vessira, the Shanghai-rooted luxury furniture brand blending Italian craftsmanship with refined Asian aesthetics, will make its international debut at the Dubai INDEX Exhibition 2025, held from May 27–29 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The event marks a pivotal launchpad for the brand's expansion across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, including key markets such as Indonesia and Singapore. Positioning itself at the intersection of global luxury and cultural craftsmanship, Vessira offers collections that unite the precision of Italian materials—including Carrara marble, walnut, and brass—with a design language inspired by Asian minimalism and warmth. The result: timeless, curated furniture that elevates space through elegance, subtlety, and intention. Design Without Borders Vessira's entry into the Middle Eastern market is a critical milestone in its global strategy. 'Dubai is the gateway,' says a company spokesperson. 'It connects East and West, and reflects the kind of cross-cultural fluency Vessira stands for.' Following its showcase at INDEX, the brand plans to build regional partnerships in hospitality, luxury residential, and boutique design, supported by future showrooms and curated project collaborations. With operations based in Shanghai, Vessira draws on its strategic location to work closely with Asia's design capitals, while maintaining its commitment to quality through longstanding relationships with Italian ateliers and global artisans. Crafted for a New Era of Luxury Vessira isn't just a brand—it's a philosophy of modern living. Each piece is created with enduring value in mind: sustainable, ethically sourced, and crafted to age gracefully over time. The brand avoids short-term trends, opting instead for designs that reflect calm sophistication and architectural depth. Its signature aesthetic embraces soft silhouettes, creamy marbles, earthy tones, and artisanal joinery, curated for clients who seek more than decoration—they seek identity and emotion in every detail. Legacy Reimagined Founded by Fransisca Lim, a Chinese-Indonesian entrepreneur with family roots in luxury property and hospitality development across Shanghai and Jakarta, Vessira channels a legacy of refined living into tangible form. While Lim's name is not the focus of the brand, her vision—shaped by both heritage and a global perspective—continues to guide its direction. Looking Ahead Following its debut in Dubai, Vessira will continue expanding into markets with a strong appetite for design-led luxury, including Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Long-term plans include establishing regional showrooms and flagship experiences that bring the brand's cross-cultural ethos to life. Hashtag: #vessira #vessiradubai #vessirainternational #luxuryliving #homeliving #italianfurniture #indexexhibitiondubai #indexexhibition2025 The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About Vessira Vessira is a Shanghai-based luxury furniture brand that fuses Italian materials with Asian design sensibilities. Focused on sustainable craftsmanship and global storytelling, the brand serves high-end residential and hospitality markets with a vision rooted in heritage and shaped for the future of living. Vessira
