You try telling Mathieu Blazy that fashion isn’t fun anymore. The French-Belgian designer has served as Bottega Veneta’s creative director since 2021, meticulously planning each collection, fashion show, and campaign. Only Blazy could make us believe that a shirt made entirely of leather is made of flannel, or that a glittery dress is studded with sequins.
Earlier this year, Blazy cleverly appointed internet heartthrob Jacob Elordi as an ambassador, who dressed up as a rabbit for his critically acclaimed role as Emerald Fennell in Saltburn. Blazy continued the playful theme of the brand’s latest SS25 show, which replaced regular seats with 60 bean bag chairs, inspired by Zanotta’s Sacco and the animal world.
The true stroke of genius? Name this series “Arc” and divide the seats into two pairs. Blazy’s insatiable appetite for creativity is not only adorable, but it also translates into the most exquisite and carefully crafted products. That’s what’s great about Bottega Veneta.
Soon after this moment, Blazy launched her first Bottega fragrance collection. Each of the five fragrances has a unique soul and strong personality, but is unified in a single narrative. In fact, Venice and Bottega Veneta’s famous leatherwork pattern, the intrecciato, provide the inspiration for these olfactory creations. Each fragrance is conceived as a blend of ingredients from different countries, which originated and still exist in the maritime republic of Venice. The brand states that it wishes to “tell a global story, distilling essences from every corner of the world to create captivating fragrances that awaken the senses and inspire the imagination.”
Heatstroke was one of Blazy’s earliest olfactory inspirations. He wanted to replicate the smell of his skin after spending a day at the beach. The result is a fragrance with Mediterranean appeal that combines the relaxing aroma of French angelica oil with the sensuality of Moroccan orange blossom.
This fragrance is crafted from distant notes to evoke memories of the near. The same is the case with Aqua Sail, another protagonist of the collection, which aims to evoke the scent of salt water on the body through an olfactory pyramid centered on Spanish woody labdanum and Macedonian juniper oil.
Follow Me, Paradox combines the citrus notes of Italian bergamot and the powdery notes of French iris cream. Then the scene changed. Daisy Minuit and Alchemy are two fragrances from this collection that draw inspiration from the night. Combining geranium from Madagascar and cardamom from Guatemala, they evoke darkness, seduction and mystery. Daisy Minuit, on the other hand, is reminiscent of Brazilian pink pepper and Somalian myrrh.
Each fragrance represents the depths that Blazy is willing to explore to expand her imagination. It not only embodies but also represents the craftsmanship and heritage of the brand.
The packaging is made of translucent glass and has a sleek, sinuous shape. The polished bottle recreates the beauty of hand-blown glass and seals in the ever-changing bubbles. The bubbles, often considered imperfections, become the hallmarks of a series of absolutely unique items, none of which are exactly like the other. It’s not over yet. The bottle rests on a base made of Verde Saint Denis marble, which is also present in the Blazy era store design.
A base that not only elevates the fragrance beyond its function, but also evokes the walls, floors and marble façades of Venetian architecture. It is in the lagoon itself where you find the charm of the Bottega Veneta fragrance, made of wood and inspired by the foundations of palaces on the water. Objets d’Afficion is a treasure worth saving because it is reusable and made of ecologically sustainable materials.
