New Bottega

While other Fashion Brands are clambering over one another to get followers on Instagram,

recruiting young shoppers via new platforms such as Tik Tok, Bottega Veneta, the 55 year old Italian brand that has enjoyed an incredible resurgence in the past few seasons, has done the unthinkable in the current social media driven market place and deleted their Instagram account, which had an impressive 2.5 million followers.

Bottega didn't release a statement, their Silenzio said it all, it wasn't a terrible mistake or technical error it was a statement, to what, I'm sure all will be revealed in time, perhaps they will come back bigger and better or perhaps, and this is my personal take having watched this legacy brand from afar for so many years. Prior to 2018 Bottega Veneta was very much a 1% brand, so subtle and yet so expensive that only the super rich would buy it, their signature Intrecciato leather-work was intricate but their branding non-existent so it didn't appeal to those who needed recognition from others about their wealth.

But in swept Creative Director Daniel Lee, fresh from a stint at Celine, and almost over night Bottega Veneta accessories were the hottest thing since Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface, The Pouch, The Cassette Bag, The padded sandals, all of which spawned a thousand copy-cats, which were certainly not in the same league quality wise, but the lack of obvious branding on the originals made faking the aesthetic easier to achieve, Instagram was littered with influencers clutching fakes, look-a-likes and just plain phoneys, which is par for the course these days, but perhaps when a brand like Bottega a brand who only joined Instagram in 2017, and one survived for so long with only craftsmanship as its calling card, started to see versions of its luxury collection popping up on fast fashion websites, their protective instincts kicked in.

Brand saturation can be the death knell for designers, this happens when customers no longer feel the product is exclusive or special either because its available in too many stores, or it becomes so popular it loses its elusive appeal, Burberry is a good example, and it took years of careful positioning to get it back. With just under 12 months of the fashion calendar left, I'm sure all will be revealed.

Hush Hush, Bottega Style. 

Picture Credit Vogue.co.uk / Bottega Veneta Resort 2020