Bottega Veneta takes its Fashion Show on the road… to Detroit

First it was London, then Berlin. Now, WWD reports that Bottega Veneta is decamping to the U.S., and to Detroit specifically, for its third, new-format show, Salon 03. The event, showcasing spring 2022, will take place on October 21st of this year.

The brand did not say why it chose Detroit, although one reason could be that the U.S. is opening up faster than Europe, post-COVID-19, and travel is far easier there than in the rest of the world. Detroit is also the birthplace of techno, and Motown, of course, and Bottega’s creative director Daniel Lee loves his music. Neneh Cherry created the soundtrack for his London Salon 01 show last October.

Lee has also been fixing his gaze on the U.S. of late. As reported, Bottega has opened a summer pop-up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Lee is thought to have been attracted to the neighborhood’s recent history of artistic and counterculture movements. Located at 33 Grand Street between Kent and Wythe Avenues, the 1,600-square-foot store puts a strong focus on accessories and a small offering of ready-to-wear. It stocks an assortment of women’s handbags, shoes and small leather goods as well as a selection of men’s shoes, bags and accessories. The store, housed in a former bank, will remain open through the end of September.

In addition to the salon shows, which are meant to replace the traditional runway format, Bottega has been exploring various unconventional platforms and ways of broadcasting its brand message. The brand showed its Salon 01 spring 2021 show at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre, and turned the spectacle into a film featuring backstage footage and a theatrical setting.

As part of his spring 2021 oeuvre, Lee also tapped Rosemarie Trockel, the German conceptual artist, to create a book of photographs and reflections on clothing, style and coming of age, called “The Importance of Wearing Clothes.” Salon 02 took place in Berlin, although that show hasn’t been released yet.

Earlier this year, the brand renounced social media, and began exploring alternative ways to engage with its collaborators and worldwide audience with a new, visually focused digital journal called Issue.

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