Raf Simons protégé Matthieu Blazy is appointed Bottega Veneta’s new creative director.
Bottega Veneta announced on November 15th that Matthieu Blazy would be promoted from Ready-to-Wear Design Director to Creative Director following Daniel Lee’s sudden departure after three years at the helm of the fashion house .
Matthieu Blazy began his fashion career as a Men’s Designer for Raf Simons. Prior to his work with Bottega Veneta, Blazy was a longtime protégé of Simons. When Blazy ended his education at La Cambre, Simons recruited the young graduate and took him on as his right-hand man. Blazy later went on to design the ‘Artisanal’ line and Women’s RTW show for Maison Margiela before becoming the Senior Designer at Céline. It wasn’t until 2016 that Blazy reunited with his mentor at Calvin Klein as the VP of women and menswear. The team then separated when Blazy moved on to join Bottega Veneta. Blazy is set to reveal his first collection for the house in February 2022.
However Blazy is not Simons’ only protégé to achieve success. Belgian designer Pieter Mulier, now Creative Director of Alaïa, began his fashion journey as an intern at the Raf Simons brand. In their 20 years working together, Mulier worked as Director of Accessories at Jil Sanders and Design Director at Christian Dior. Then when Simons moved on to Calvin Klein as the Chief Creative Officer, Mulier joined as Creative Director of Womenswear. However, Mulier and Simons parted ways when Mulier was appointed creative director at Alaïa.
Bottega Veneta has high hopes for the director. “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,” stated François-Henri Pinault, Chairman & CEO of Kering, in a press release. “Matthieu’s appointment will further enhance the modern relevance of our brand and accelerate our growth while preserving the values that are at the core of Bottega Veneta,” added Leo Rongone, Bottega Veneta’s CEO.
Although Blazy has only been with Bottega Veneta for a year, the brand expresses great confidence in his experience and ability. He’s worked with numerous brands, but perhaps the most invaluable was his work with Raf Simons. As an industry mainstay that has helped mentor two new creative directors, Simons’s work has influenced designers and helped develop their careers. Now, as the Co-Creative Director of Prada with Miuccia Prada, the master is having a moment in the mentee chair.
Image courtesy of Bottega Veneta
