2015/10 Bottega Veneta – Bottega Veneta Home
Details:
Bottega Veneta
Bottega Veneta Home
Fall-Winter 2015
Via Sant’Andrea 15, Milan
Review:
by Peter Hamer
october 05, 2023
About 10 years ago, Bottega Veneta had its niche and its customers. It was seen as a sure investment, much like an Italian Hermès. You could buy the product then and wear it for a lifetime if you took good care of it. With leather craftsmanship at its core, Bottega Veneta was profoundly product-driven, solidifying its reputation as a provider of reliable luxury goods. At that time, Leather Goods made up 60% of the brand’s turnover. Bottega Veneta was at that time on mission that they called 2BV, or, 2 billion revenue Bottega Veneta. In other words, the cash had to come from other categories. But Ready to Wear never broke through in wholesale. Accessories were challenging. Shoes were difficult. And when they introduced an intrecciato-printed nylon, an entry-level version of the intrecciato leather (?), I felt things were difficult. But that’s me running, let’s get back to the introduction of the new product categories, keep in mind we’re in 2015.
Personally, Bottega Veneta found its strongest resonance in the realm of home goods. It was a beautiful project which included furniture, home decor, tableware, and glass stemware. All were presented in beautiful earthy tones and intrinsic intrecciato details that made oh so much sense. If you think about it, these are the type of products that you buy once, and if you take good care of them you keep them forever, the same was valid for their LG’s. To coincide with the launch, they opened a Bottega Veneta Home boutique in Via Borgospesso which was nothing but stunning. Now, while not all new products were featured in their boutiques, they would appear when the time was right and that time was set by a local event. For example: furniture and home decor during Design Week, and glass stemware during La Vendemmia di Montenapoleone1.
This display coincided with La Vendemmia, and besides being one of my favorites ever because of the right balance between strategy and creativity, is as smart as it can get. It represents the brands, promotes a specific product, it’s unexpected, it’s simple and to the point, leverages a local event, and creates dialogue with existing and potential new customers. The combination of all of these elements makes this a display for the books, hence me writing a review 8 years later. There are two versions of the display, one with a neon silhouette of I presume a Champagne flute with the intrecciato detail on the base of the stem, and the second version is a neon-silhouette table with both glass stemware and decanters. Both versions feature a black background. The contrast and dimension of the props are a great way to create curiosity that consolidates when looking at the product for sale. Notice that no other product categories are on display. Are these categories sacrificed? No. Does Bottega Veneta all of a sudden want to focus on a different category? No. It is just an additional slice of the universe that Bottega Veneta was already a part of.
Though this display debuted 8 years ago, its relevance remains undiminished. This is a great example of how creativity guided by strategy will never go out of style because it doesn’t solely rely on emotions. And on that note, I am not a Bottega Veneta customer, but come to my house and you’ll find some Bottega Veneta Home. Let’s not forget a holistic VM strategy not only resonates with existing customers but appeals to other customers through dialogue.
1 La Vendemmia di Montenapoleone or The Montenapoleone Harvest, is an initiative that inaugurates the Milanese autumn season, conceived and promoted by the Montenapoleone District which combines the best Italian and international wineries and the most prestigious global luxury brands.
