Louise Trotter is Bottega Veneta's new Creative Director - here's why Bottega fans should be excited

Last week, the fashion industry’s game of creative director musical chairs reached frantic new heights. First, John Galliano announced he was leaving his role at Maison Margiela after ten years (and hinted that his next move was soon to be revealed). Then came Matthieu Blazy, announcing he would be stepping down from Bottega Veneta to take up the most coveted role in fashion — artistic director at Chanel.

His replacement was named as Louise Trotter, current creative director of Carven, and we couldn’t be more excited. Firstly, because there is finally a woman in a top seat at a luxury fashion house — somewhat of a rarity when you look at the majority of conglomerate-owned labels today. In fact, she is now the only woman creative director of a Kering-owned brand, since the departure of Sarah Burton from Alexander McQueen. But secondly, because her super polished yet relaxed design aesthetic will go hand in hand with the design codes of Bottega.

Of her appointment, Leo Rongone, CEO of Bottega Veneta, said: “I am pleased to welcome Louise as our new creative director. Her aesthetic seamlessly combines exquisite design with sublime craft and her commitment to cultural advocacy aligns beautifully with our brand vision. Through her sophisticated lens, Bottega Veneta will continue to celebrate its heritage while preserving modern relevance.”

So, who is Louise Trotter, and how did she land the job?

Her CV

The British designer, who was born in Sunderland, studied marketing and design at Newcastle Polytechnic. She started her career at Whistles, eventually becoming buying and design director. She then headed to New York to take up the role of vice-president of womenswear at Gap. After that, she moved to Calvin Klein to become head of womenswear, then moving on to take a design role at Tommy Hilfiger. Keeping up?

In 2007 she returned to the British high street by joining Jigsaw as creative director. Two years later she relocated once again, this time to Paris, to take the top job at Joseph. She succeeded the brand’s founder Joseph Ettedgui, who died in 2010. She brought the brand back to the London Fashion Week schedule to a warm reception.

After a nine year tenure, she went on to become the creative director of sportswear brand Lacoste — a position she held for five years. And in February 2023 she took the reins at Carven, showing her first collection for the heritage French house that same September. The label hadn’t shown at Paris Fashion Week since 2018.

Best fashion moments

Her debut collection at Carven was a triumph — embellished flats, oversized blazers and anoraks with ladylike, sheer ankle length skirts. It was the blueprint for a practical working woman’s wardrobe with an added luxe edge.

Her latest collection, spring/summer 2025, built upon this with bolder colours, puff-ball skirts and plenty of layering. Models wore peep-toe flats, dangling diamante earrings and elegant leather handbags. In just two years, she brought Carven bang up to date, with a desirably cool aesthetic that also managed to feel attainable.

In Trotter’s five years at Lacoste, she cultivated an elevated sports aesthetic, combining oversized polo shirts with slick trench and camel hair coats. Her models always wore trainers or flats, and often carried a large, butter-soft leather clutch bag under their arms. She’s clearly a fan of head-to-toe tonal dressing, something that can also be seen throughout her collections at Joseph.

For autumn/winter 2014, Trotter brought the brand back to London Fashion Week, with many editors rejoicing at the high-end high-street basics that could plug gaps in designer-stuffed wardrobes. Her cosy knitwear and statement outerwear pieces stood out throughout her time at the brand.

What to expect

With Trotter starting at Bottega Veneta in January, she’s coming into the house at an opportune moment. Matthieu Blazy’s last collection for spring/summer 2025 was considered the highlight of Milan Fashion Week, with celebrities and editors alike sat on animal shaped beanbag chairs (crafted in the highest quality leather, of course).

Whether she’ll inherit Blazy’s spirit of playfulness — he recently released a capsule collection with children’s illustrator and author Richard Scarry — remains to be seen.

We’re expecting oversized silhouettes, exquisite tailoring and seriously desirable footwear and accessories (as if Bottega didn’t have enough of those already).

Blazy has only been creative director at the house since 2021 — he took up the position in November after Daniel Lee’s shock departure. Lee took to the helm in 2018 and was tasked with resurrecting the Italian leather goods origin brand, which he did to great success (remember Bottega green, anyone?).

With Trotter in the head position, we’re expecting her no-nonsense approach to luxury to reign supreme. Just to be clear, that doesn’t mean boring — she has built a reputation for designing practical clothes that look amazing, and slot into modern people’s busy lives. We can’t wait to see how that looks through the Bottega lens.