Bottega Veneta Pivots to Zine

to be part of a larger shape-shifting strategy for the billion-dollar brand: like its fellow Kering subsidiaries Balenciaga, Gucci, and Saint Laurent, Bottega now shows its collections on its own calendar, separate from the official global schedules created by fashion’s trade organizations, and stage its fashion shows in unorthodox ways. Spring 2021, for example, was shown in a very exclusive physical London “salon” back in October; video of the show, shot by Tyrone Lebon, emerged two months later, in December. The shift has been all the more striking because of where the brand has recently been: under creative director Daniel Lee, its freaky accessories and jumbo clothes drove high-taste editors to act more like influencers. Jumping the social media ship is a risky play to make the brand more enigmatic—and perhaps even redefine the contemporary spirit of desire and luxury.

Now, Bottega has returned to the internet, albeit on its own terms, with Issue, a digital magazine. Coming in at some 107 pages, the standalone site allows users to flip through contributions from a variety of artists and thinkers, from legendary Biba founder Barbara Hulanicki to photographer Tyler Mitchell to Missy Elliott. Almost all are dressed in clothing from past and present Bottega seasons. There are features that might have made for hit Instagram content, like a balloon artist rendering the house’s jewelry in inflatable form, animations of their chain and telephone cord jewelry twisting around, and jelly recreations of BV handbags with accessories slightly visible beneath the translucent gelatin wiggle. There’s sound—the balloon artist’s squeaks, and the luxurious click of the house’s handbags fastening shut—but no text. It’s a bit like a full-bleed, highly produced slate of Instagram stories. Or non-narrative TikToks. Or, you know, a classic coffee table book, just online.