That was fast, like almost too fast! Kering-owned Bottega Veneta has announced Mathieu Blazy will take the place of Daniel Lee as the label’s lead creative director effective immediately. An inside hire, Blazy has been a senior designer for Bottega Veneta ready to wear since 2020. The label announced it was parting ways with Lee last than a week ago.
Commenting on the breakneck change, Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault stated, “The very solid foundations, specific codes and unique identity of Bottega Veneta enable us to nurture great ambitions for the future of this luxury house. I am confident that Matthieu Blazy’s wealth of experience and broad cultural background will allow him to bring his creative impetus to the task of carrying on the legacy of Bottega Veneta.”
Born in Paris in 1984, Blazy is a graduate of La Cambre in Brussels. The 37-year-old’s resume includes a well-regarded period at Maison Margiela, where he was head designer of the Artisanal line and women’s ready to wear in the early 2010s. According to Vogue, Kanye West Yeezus tour masks were inspired by the crystal-covered masks from the fall 2013 Artisanal presentation, which Blazy was responsible for.
Following Margiela, Blazy was a senior designer under Phoebe Philo at Céline, with his tenure at the label overlapping for a period with Lee, who was with the label for six years. From 2016-2019, Blazy was head of women’s ready to wear at the short-lived Calvin Klein 205W39NYC, where his boyfriend Pieter Mulier was the creative director under Raf Simons, the labels chief creative officer.
