Why are these Bottega Veneta jeans causing a stir?

Kim Kardashian lives her American dream in Bottega Veneta 

 

Every week brings its share of excitement triggered by the influencer and businesswoman Kim Kardashian. On September 6th , the reality TV star once again broke the internet with the cover of the September issue of Interview, with “American Dream” as its theme, photographed by artist Nadia Lee Cohen. Aside from her peroxide blonde hair, a Chloë Sevigny-inspired dubious blow-dry, bleached eyebrows, and an excessively tanned complexion, Kim Kardashian questions the morals of her country in a pair of jeans pulled down over her famous behind decked out in a jockstrap, using her own weapons – her sulphureous aura and her taste for staging. 

 

With this cover, which now accumulates more than 4 million likes on Instagram, Kim Kardashian leaves her must-have Balenciaga by Demna looks, which defined her for more than a year, to show herself fully clothed in Matthieu Blazy’s first collection for Bottega Veneta. The timing was perfect as the Italian fashion house unveiled its Fall/Winter 2022-2023 campaign last week. Beyond this now iconic photo of Kim Kardashian, this Bottega Veneta look itself deserves our attention. The first look from Matthieu Blazy’s first Bottega Veneta show with the denim printed leather trousers. 

Matthieu Blazy’s trompe l’oeil denim for Bottega Veneta 

 

At Milan Fashion Week in February 2022, all eyes were on Bottega Veneta… In November, three months prior to the event, the Italian house suddenly announced the departure of its former artistic director Daniel Lee. Five days later, he was replaced by the French-Belgian designer Matthieu Blazy. Marking the return of Bottega Veneta to the official calendar, his first show was the focus of attention. One question was on everyone’s lips – will Matthieu Blazy do as well as, or even better, than his predecessor? 

 

The answer was not long in coming. From the very first silhouette, Matthieu Blazy’s appointment at Bottega Veneta was crystal clear. Sitting next to actresses Julian Moore and Maïwenn, and designers Raf Simons and Pieter Mulier, Bottega Veneta CEO Bartolomeo Rongone and Kering group CEO François-Henri Pinault, to which the house belongs, could breathe a sigh of relief. 

 

While this look composed of a white tank top, faded jeans, and a pair of black ankle boots calls for sobriety at first sight, it finally appears as extremely sophisticated. The black boots are not just leather. Made from Intrecciato leather, a weave of leather strips that has become the house’s signature, they are testaments of Bottega Veneta’s unparalleled working abilities with this material. Even more remarkable, the trousers are not made of simple denim. Contrary to appearances, they are made of nubuck leather ornamented with a denim- like print. While denim is making a strong comeback this season, the new artistic director makes a breakthrough with this idea of trousers, and demonstrates a remarkable spirit of innovation, able to reshape the house’s favorite material. A truly singular creation, available for the modest sum of €4,800. 

 

Matthieu Blazy, an already (well-)known talent 

 

When the whole world discovered the name of Matthieu Blazy as he was appointed artistic director of Bottega Veneta, the discreet designer, a former graduate of the prestigious fashion school La Cambre in Brussels, could already count on an exceptional path and surprising artistic collaborations. 

 

In addition to his notable stints at Raf Simons (2007-2011), Celine with Phoebe Philo (2014-2016), and Calvin Klein (2016- 2019), he officiated between 2011 and 2014 at Maison Margiela, which, since the departure of the eponymous founder in 2009, has claimed having an anonymous and collaborative creative direction… until fashion journalist Suzy Menkes got involved. Indeed, for the Fall/Winter 2014- 2015 Artisanal show, she revealed to Vogue that Matthieu Blazy is the mysterious designer behind the silhouettes, praising his precious creations in which vintage pieces are reshaped and highlighted by extraordinarily contemporary embroideries. Now, the identity of the man who signed Maison Margiela’s incredible beaded masks worn by rapper Kanye West during his Yeezus tour in 2013 is finally known to all. 

 

Before joining Bottega Veneta in 2020 as director of ready-to-wear design, alongside artistic director Daniel Lee, Matthieu Blazy took a detour to Los Angeles. There, he collaborated with painter Sterling Ruby and his wife Melanie Schiff, who were close friends with Raf Simons, for the launch of their first ready-to-wear collection, a surprising mix of heavy metal punk and American archetypes that was unanimously praised by the press. 

 

With his first collection as Bottega Veneta’s artistic director, Matthieu Blazy delivers a powerful summary of his previous experiences. He combines the conceptual fashion of Maison Margiela with the avant-garde vision of Céline under Phoebe Philo, and the radical minimalism of Raf Simons, in a pragmatic and timeless way that offers bold, architectural silhouettes of unbridled elegance and celebrates the house’s artisanal know-hows. In a long portrait published in Vogue, his close friends and collaborators also praise his benevolent personality and his humility. A promising start for this low-profile designer who has just been waiting for a position up to his level to realize his full potential.