The new woman at the top – what makes Louise Trotter’s debut at Bottega Veneta at the Milan Fashion Week?
In the past seasons, speculations and rumors about possible arrivals and departures from creative director kept the fashion industry in suspense inside. In the meantime, since most positions have been slowly but steadily occupied, the question is shifting from the “Who?” To the “what?”. For the spring/summer 2026 season, the first complete debuts are now the creative director: inside in their new houses. What is striking, however, is that among all the designers, only one woman at the top of a well -known fashion house debut: Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta.
But what can you expect from your first collection that will be presented on this Saturday evening?
Does Louise Trotter kick out of the shadow?
Trotter, who took on her role at Bottega Veneta at the end of January 2025, is not only the only female creative director among the designers who debut this season, but also the only within the Kering Group, the French luxury goods group, to which Bottega Veneta and other luxury brands such as Gucci, Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Baleciaga belong.
While her male colleagues – especially Demna Gvasalia with his highly awaited first collection for Gucci – have already attracted attention, Trotter has so far remained in the shade, similar to her announcement, which was made at the same time as Matthieu Blazy’s appointment as creative director at Chanel.
However, she shouldn’t – her appointment is by no means less important than that of her male colleagues. On the contrary, your calling could be a sign that the long -standing demand for more female fashion houses is finally recognized by decision -makers: inside like Kering. However, your gender has never been the only factor for your selection.
Trotter has already demonstrated her talent in leading fashion houses such as Joseph, Lacoste and most recently Carven. At Bottega Veneta, she is now at the top of such a prestigious house – at a time when it is at the height of his success.
No “Newnew” Bottega Veneta?
When Trotter came to Carven in February 2023, her task was to revive a fashion house that had come out of fashion. Although she successfully attributed the brand to the catwalk and received positive reviews, her term of office at the historic French house took less than two years. However, this experience apparently paved her way for the role of Bottega Veneta.
“Louise brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective in the tradition of Bottega Veneta, which is characterized by courageous creativity and incomparable excellence,” said Francesca Bellettini, then deputy CEO of Kering for brand development. “She is the ideal creative talent to continue the remarkable journey together with Leo Rongone and the Bottega Veneta team that started with Matthieu Blazy […]”
It remains to be seen whether Trotter Bottega Veneta can fully implement her own vision. However, Bellettini’s statements – now CEO of Gucci – suggest that Trotter will continue the work more rather than reinvent it. This seems understandable, because in view of the increasing sales and the stable performance of the brand in recent years, a drastic transformation would not be likely or necessary.
The brand has already undergone several top -class new interpretations. In 2018, “Newbottega” made headlines – a name that fans of the then new creative director Daniel Lee Bottega Veneta gave. Partly as recognition of his transformative approach, partly as a hashtag after the social media break of the brand in early 2021. Blazy later initiated another “new” era for Bottega, and now Trotter 2025 could at least open one chapter. It will probably be primarily about strengthening the core values of a brand that has already experienced positive changes in recent years.
Kering will hardly risk the sales or stagnate, especially since Bottega Veneta is one of the few houses within the group that recorded a slight increase in sales. In the first half of 2025, Bottega Veneta held sales with an increase of one percent to 846 million euros, while the other brands reported declines.
From women for women
At first glance, the question arises as to why a change at Bottega was necessary at all. The simple answer is that blazy switched to Chanel and a replacement had to be found.
But Trotter’s appointment is much more than that. Your designs are often called in the same breath with Phoebe Philo and The Row – two of the most loved female brands of the fashion world. In addition, she brings a perspective that Blazy and his contemporaries did not have: she creates a perspective for women from the perspective of a woman, a perspective that has become increasingly lost in the industry in recent years.
In addition, there is a down -to -earthness that is often missing in luxury fashion. Trotter started her career at contemporary labels such as the British brand Whistles, then worked at Calvin Klein Jeans under Calvin Klein himself and later led the women’s department at GAP. Then she switched to the high-end area as a creative director at Joseph, where she successfully brought the house back on the catwalk-similar to Carven in the past two years. At Lacoste, she implemented the same pragmatic and elegant approach, insisted that models only wear flat shoes, and gave the brand and its iconic crocodile an unpretentious elegance that remained loyal to the sporting roots.
In doing so, she always preserved a deep appreciation for craftsmanship, detail and sophistication – properties for which Blazys Bottega Veneta is also known. In combination with her ability to act less as a radical new finder, but rather as a creative guardian of the brand identity, this provides a strong indication of what her first collection for Bottega Veneta is expected.
A debut with preview
Not everything is left to speculation, because Trotter has already presented several looks that give a first impression of their debut. At the film festivals in Cannes and Venice, she not only remained loyal to her longtime brand ambassador: Julianne Moore and Jacob Elordi – but also presented a new face of the brand with Vicky Krieps.
The first insights were meaningful. In Venice, Elordi switched between relaxed steamers and khakis, a wide white ensemble for a photo shoot and a sharply cut double-groomed sko for the premiere of ‘Frankenstein’, while Krieps on the red carpet of ‘Father Mother Sister Brother’ in a sculptural, asymmetrical black dress and an upright, structured, structured, structured, structured Line appeared.
Just a few days earlier, Moore Trotter’s first design for Bottega Veneta presented: a black, strange dress with leather tassels. The actress later thanked Instagram “for the fact that I was allowed to wear your first dress for Bottega Veneta”, while Trotter described the process of dressing Moore and Krieps, in an interview with Vogue as “a conversation – woman to woman, creative to creative”.
In addition to several new creations and tailor -made pieces that were created under Trotter, both actresses combined their outfits with jewelry and accessories from the house. Moore even wore an archive-inteciato clutch, which was once made famous by Lauren Hutton in American Gigolo-a choice that seemed less nostalgic than a subtle indication of how Trotter Bottega’s past could incorporate into her work.
Trotter’s first months at Bottega Veneta indicate careful weighing up of tradition and innovation. Before her debut, the designer apparently dipped deep into the Northern Home community of Montebello Vicentino, where the archives and workshops of the house are located. There she told the fashion magazine Vogue that she had studied pieces for decades that still appear amazingly relevant.
Unlike many of her contemporary: inside, whose debuts of bold new findings and dramatic productions – or even film projects – are shaped, Trotter is rather careful. There is an awareness of understanding the past to shape the future. And if you believe her first appearances on the red carpet, she is ready to continue blazy revival of the brand – but with a quieter, carefully developed elegance that represents continuity about spectacular effects.