Bottega Veneta under female leadership: Louise Trotter’s new chapter

For the past few seasons speculations and rumours about potential arrivals and departures of creative directors have had the fashion industry in a chokehold. Now that most positions have slowly but steadily been filled, the questions are shifting from who to what. And so, spring/summer 2026 is inundated with first full mission statements of the many creative directors that are set to debut at their new creative home. Noticeably, however, there is only one woman amongst those who are set to take the helm at prestigious fashion houses: Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta.

But what is it that one might be able to expect from her first collection to be unveiled at Milan Fashion Week this Saturday? And what could it mean for the landscape of luxury fashion?

Is Louise Trotter stepping out of the shadows?

Trotter, who assumed her role at Bottega Veneta at the end of January 2025, is not just the only female creative director among the roster of designers debuting this season, but also the only at Kering, the group that owns Bottega Veneta as well as other luxury houses such as Gucci, Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, and Balenciaga – two of which are also unveiling new visions this season. While her male counterparts, particularly Demna Gvasalia with his highly anticipated first collection for Gucci, have already captured attention and the spotlight, Trotter, much like her announcement, which coincided with Matthieu Blazy’s appointment as creative director of Chanel, has so far remained largely in the shadows.

Her appointment, however, is by no means any less significant than that of her male counterparts. If anything, it might be even more consequential. She could be a sign that the long-standing demand for more women-led fashion houses is finally being acknowledged by power players like Kering. Not that her gender was or should be the only factor in her selection. On the contrary, Trotter has consistently demonstrated her talent during her tenures at respected fashion houses such as Joseph, Lacoste, and, most recently, Carven. However, this is her first time at the helm of a fashion house as prestigious as Bottega Veneta, let alone one at the peak of its success.

No ‘NewNew’ Bottega Veneta?

When Trotter joined Carven in February 2023, her task was to revive a fashion house that had fallen out of favour. Although she successfully brought the brand back to the runway and received positive reviews, her tenure at the historic French house lasted less than two years. This experience appears to have nonetheless paved the way for her role at Bottega Veneta.

“Louise brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to the tradition of Bottega Veneta, which is defined by bold creativity and unparalleled excellence,” said Francesca Bellettini, Kering’s then-deputy CEO responsible for brand development. “She is the ideal creative talent to continue, alongside Leo Rongone and the Bottega Veneta team, the remarkable journey that began with Matthieu Blazy,[…].”

It remains to be seen whether Trotter will have the chance to fully realise Bottega Veneta with her vision. Bellettini’s words – she has since been appointed CEO of Gucci – suggest that Trotter is meant to continue rather than reinvent what Blazy started. And this makes sense, with Bottega’s rising sales and steady success over the past few years, a dramatic transformation seems both unlikely and largely unnecessary.

The brand has already undergone several high-profile reinventions. Back in 2018, “NewBottega” made headlines – a name fans gave Daniel Lee’s Bottega Veneta, partly in recognition of his transformative approach, and partly as a hashtag following the brand’s social media hiatus in early 2021. Blazy later ushered in yet another “new” era for Bottega, and now, in 2025, Trotter could do so again.

This time, however, it may be less about radical reinvention and more about reinforcing the hallmarks of a brand that has already experienced positive transformation in recent years. Kering is unlikely to risk the possibility of dwindling sales or stagnation, especially as Bottega Veneta remains one of the only brands within the conglomerate showing a slight increase in revenue. In the first half of 2025, Bottega Veneta was the only one to hold its ground, reporting a 1 percent increase to 846 million euro, while the rest of the brands recorded declines.

On the outset, this, however, does beg the question why a change was needed at Bottega at all. While the obvious answer is simple – Blazy was set to move to Chanel and a replacement was required – Trotter’s appointment is much more than that. Her designs have long been mentioned in the same breath as Phoebe Philo and The Row, two of fashion’s most beloved female-led brands, and she brings a unique viewpoint that Blazy and his contemporaries never could: she can design for women from a woman’s point of view, a perspective increasingly lost in the fashion industry in recent years.

Adding to this is a real-world sensibility often missing in luxury fashion. Trotter began her career at contemporary labels such as the British brand Whistles, then worked at Calvin Klein Jeans under Calvin Klein himself, before taking on the role of head of womenswear at Gap. She later transitioned into the high-end sphere as creative director of Joseph, where she revived the house by returning it to the runway and rekindling its former glory – much as she did at Carven over the past two years. At Lacoste, she carried that same pragmatic yet refined approach, insisting her models wear only flats and infusing the label and its iconic crocodile with an unpretentious elegance that stayed true to its sportif heritage.

She achieved all this while maintaining a deep appreciation for craft, refinement, and attention to detail, the qualities Blazy’s Bottega Veneta is known for. Coupled with her instinct to act less as a disruptor and more as a creative guardian of a brand’s legacy through quiet reinvention, it offers a strong indication of what her first collection for Bottega might entail.

A debut with a sneak peek

Not that it is all guesswork. At this point, Trotter has already revealed several looks that offer insight into what her debut might look like. On the red carpet at the film festivals in Cannes and Venice, she not only stayed true to Bottega Veneta's longtime brand ambassadors—actress Julianne Moore and actor Jacob Elordi—but also introduced Luxembourgish-German actress Vicky Krieps as a new face of the brand.

The early glimpses were telling. In Venice, Elordi moved between relaxed checks and khakis, a billowing white ensemble for a photocall, and a sharply tailored double-breasted suit for the ‘Frankenstein’ premiere, while Krieps appeared at the ‘Father Mother Sister Brother’ red carpet in a sculptural, asymmetric black gown with leather accents and a structured, upright neckline. Just a few days prior, Moore premiered Trotter’s first design for Bottega Veneta: a black strapless gown featuring a leather-tassel detail. The actress later took to Instagram to thank the designer “for allowing me to wear your first dress for Bottega Veneta”. Trotter described the process of dressing both Moore and Krieps as “a conversation—woman to woman, creative to creative,” in an interview with Vogue.

In addition to several more new creations and custom pieces designed under Trotter’s direction, both actresses paired their looks with house jewelry and accessories. For the event, Moore even carried an archival Intrecciato clutch once immortalized by Lauren Hutton in American Gigolo, a choice that felt less like a nostalgic gesture than a subtle clue to how Trotter might navigate Bottega’s past.

Trotter’s early days at Bottega Veneta suggest a careful negotiation between legacy and innovation. Before her debut, the designer is said to have immersed herself in Montebello Vicentino, where the house’s archives and artisans are based. There, she told Vogue that she has studied decades-old pieces that remain startlingly relevant.

Unlike many of her contemporaries, whose debuts have been marked by bold reinventions and dramatic runway statements – or even film projects – Trotter appears more measured. There seems to be a sense of understanding the past in order to move into the future, and in doing so, there is a chance, or the hope, that she will blend Bottega’s rich heritage with her own refined, real-world sensibility. If her red carpet previews are any indication, Trotter is poised to extend Blazy’s revival of the brand, but with a quieter, meticulously crafted elegance that emphasizes continuity over spectacle.