BREAKING THE CURSE OF THE IT BAG

Not to mention four fashion awards... Daniel Lee, designer for Bottega Veneta has a lot to prove

One evening in early December 2019, Daniel Lee arrived at the Fashion Awards in London to see how his brand had fared. He won, a lot. Wearing a black Bottega tuxedo he sat at a table with the Bottega chief executive, Bartolomeo Rongone, and Bottega owner, François-Henri Pinault. Pinault is the chief executive of Kering, the French luxury group that includes Bottega as well as Gucci, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, among other luxury pillar brands.

Lee, who was 33 at the time (he turned 34 in January) had been at Bottega for only about a year and a half; he was the youngest and newest designer in the Kering stable. He had never been to a fashion awards ceremony, but he was nominated in four categories.

He was feeling pretty good and also very nervous, because he does not like speaking in public. A few days before the event, the British Fashion Council, which runs the awards, had been in touch and suggested he prepare some notes, so he had a feeling he might win something. Then Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, the model who was presenting the brand of the year award, announced: “The winner is ... Bottega Veneta.” Lee was so excited he ran up to the stage and left his speech at the table. That turned out to be OK, though, because he had a second chance, when he won accessories designer of the year.

He thanked his team, assumed he was done and thought he could relax.

But then came the British designer of the year award, womenswear. Won by Daniel Lee. And then the designer of the year award. Won by Daniel Lee. “He was so embarrassed,” Pinault remembered a few weeks later. “He asked me if I would go up and get it for him.” (Pinault declined.) After all, no designer had ever won four awards in one night at the event. Not John Galliano or Alexander McQueen. Not Stella McCartney or Phoebe Philo or Christopher Bailey. Not any of the most famous, celebrated designers in the era of awards ceremonies.