The calm and the storm

Drawing from heritage but forging his own path, Daniel Lee, Bottega Veneta’s reticent creative head, is creating instant icons that eschew seasonal trends for a lifetime of adoration.

- Dennis Braatz

Thanks to Daniel Lee, the Intrecciato is everywhere. While accessories like the Pouch have cemented his status as the It-item creator of the past year, what drives the Brit designer’s design ethos is an understanding of the house’s iconic codes combined with his own vision of simplifying luxury—solution-led clothes whose wearing doesn’t require too much thought because of the thought that’s already gone into making them. For this designer who still uses the jewellery from his first pre-collection at the house, true luxury isn’t fleeting.

“To me what is essential is quietly providing solutions in the simplest way and translating that into a fashion context”

For six seasons now, the catwalks have been dominated by two lo-go-intensive aesthetics. While Milan is ruled by neo-baroque Gucci, in Paris it’s the radically urban Balenciaga. Behind the scenes, however, something new was brewing. This was a time when fashion fans were mourning Phoebe Philo’s departure from Celine—for 10 years now their safest bank for practical, smart and elegant clothes that didn’t just dress mature women but strengthened them. All hope now rested on the shoulders of a young, unknown Brit: Daniel Lee, 34 years old, former Philo student who, without hype or prior publicity, took over the creative throne at Bottega Veneta.

In retrospect, it’s no wonder that the brand gave Lee enough time to prepare for his debut show for the house. Between the show and his announcement lay a few months and two small showroom presentations, only for a relevant circle of journalists, stylists and buyers. Whoever went whispered, “This could be it!” But waiting also creates excitement—and in a long time, the fashion world hadn’t been as excited as on the morning of February 22, 2019.