Louise Trotter’s debut for Bottega Veneta is an exquisite study in liberation — not the loud kind, but one that breathes quietly through the folds of leather, silk, and thread. For Spring/Summer 2026, the new creative director captures the essence of the house’s artisanship and translates it into a language that feels human, tactile, and alive.
Her muse seems to be the atelier itself — the rhythm of hands at work, the whisper of woven leather, the art of imperfection. “The hands, the willingness to always say: ‘Let’s try,’” she said of her inspiration. That sentiment defines her vision. Each piece, each stitch, feels like an act of trust between craft and instinct.
In the women’s collection, dresses appear as if caught mid-movement, their straps slipping softly from the shoulder, their hems asymmetrical, their edges raw and sensuous. There’s a ravaged grace here — garments that seem worn by life rather than untouched by it. Yet this fragility is balanced by the quiet power of tailoring: cropped jackets cut with precision, skirts molded from recycled fiberglass that shimmer with an architectural sheen.
Trotter’s interplay between softness and structure is magnetic. A silk dress trails into transparency beside a masculine blazer with sculpted shoulders. Oversized trousers move with an elegant indifference, echoing the confidence of menswear yet anchored in the ease of the feminine form. Wide-shouldered coats, open-collared shirts, and asymmetric skirts dance between eras, evoking both the studio and the street.
The menswear, too, carries a sense of intimacy and sensual comfort. Sweaters envelop the body, their volume tender rather than imposing. Tunics flow lightly past the hips, and suits — rendered in buttery leather and fine wool — blur the line between protection and seduction. Trotter’s men are no longer encased in armor; they are dressed in touch.
Bottega Veneta’s heritage lives in its leather, and Trotter treats it as both medium and message. The bags are tactile poems — soft Intrecciato weaves, slouched silhouettes, oversized totes that fold like fabric, and structured clutches softened by touch. They exude the quiet strength of utility and the sensuality of a lived-in object — something to be carried close, not displayed.
Shoes continue this dialogue between presence and restraint. Deconstructed loafers, knotted heels, and sculptural slip-ons echo the tension within the clothing — precise yet undone, crafted yet free. Together, they complete Trotter’s vision of movement, of life’s imperfect polish.
Trotter’s Bottega Veneta is not a departure but a metamorphosis. The house’s soul — its reverence for craft, its devotion to material, its belief that luxury lies in touch — remains intact. But under her eye, these codes loosen, breathe, and shift. She invites a subtle disorder into the perfection, finding beauty in frayed edges and unguarded gestures.
This is an innovative chapter for Bottega Veneta: one where the legacy of leather becomes a language for modern sensuality. Louise Trotter does not shout her arrival — she lets it unfold, quietly, through movement and texture. Her Spring/Summer 2026 collection is not only a debut; it’s an awakening — a reaffirmation that true luxury is felt, not announced.
