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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alexander McQueen's Nephew Draws Back the Curtain on New Off-Broadway Show
More than 15 years after Alexander McQueen's death, the fashion designer's career is coming into sharper focus with an off-Broadway of the most acclaimed and incendiary designers of his generation, McQueen took his life in 2010 at the age of 40 in London. Daring and original with his designs and runway shows, the British-born talent burst on the scene in the 1990s. The son of a taxi driver and self-described 'big mouth East English yob,' McQueen rose to the top of the fashion world. With his 1995 controversial Highland Rape collection that used remnants from fabric shops, McQueen caught the attention of European luxury titans. In 1996, Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, tapped the then-27-year-old to be the creative lead at Givenchy, a post he held for five years. In 2000, the Gucci Group bought a 51 percent stake in McQueen's company, allowing for expansion via signature boutiques; a secondary line called McQ licensed to Italy's SINV; menswear and leather goods, and collaborations with brands including Puma and Samsonite. Despite such reach and a Target collaboration in 2009, his namesake company did not have the financial might of his rivals, during his lifetime.A decade in the making, 'House of McQueen' starts previews next month and the grand opening will be held Sept. 9 at the Mansion at Hudson Yards. In a joint interview Tuesday with show producer Rick Lazes and Gary McQueen, a nephew of the designer, Lazes said, 'What would Lee do?' was their mantra, whenever they felt tripped up. (The designer was known as Lee to family and close friends.) The theater — the first new one to be built in Manhattan in more than 20 years — was financed and designed by their company Alexander McQueen LLC. McQueen said, 'There are obviously a lot of complexities in Lee's life, both personally and his rise into the elites of fashion from his humble beginnings. That is really a true underdog story, and a very inspiring one. Hopefully, what we've achieved with this inspires the younger generation who don't really know Alexander McQueen the person, but also satisfies long-term fans of my uncle's work. It does touch some personal stuff.'Lazes said, 'No matter what obstacles he encountered, he overcame them and his art continued to flourish, Despite adversity and the mercantile pressure of the fashion industry, his genius shone through. We're hoping people will leave the theater feeling like they've seen genius. For those who don't know McQueen, it will be like seeing Picasso for the first time. He [McQueen] was never accepted as a great artist, which he clearly was. He was always relegated as a fashion designer. We're hoping people will see that he influenced not only the fashion world, but music, art and pop culture. And he still does today.' Meant to be a well-rounded and entertaining representation of the designer's life, the 90-minute seated performance will feature 'Bridgerton' actor Luke Newton in the lead role. Family members and other key figures in McQueen's life like Isabella Blow will also be portrayed. Ticket holders will also have access to a concurrent exhibition of original McQueen gowns that will be adjacent to the theater. With more than 1,000 square feet of LED screens, the show will feature creative content that was developed with Gary McQueen's oversight about Lee's motivation, thoughts and drive for creative genius to play up his art, work and spirit. Needless to say McQueen-designed pieces will not be worn by the write the play, Darrah Cloud drew from previous media interviews with the designer and from conversations with his nephew, who is an artist. After Gary McQueen lost his father unexpectedly, Lee McQueen stepped in to babysit him as an older brother might. Years later, they worked together. He said, 'There's a certain spirit attached to being a McQueen. I share a similar aesthetic that is both inspired by Lee, but that is also quite inherent to myself,' his nephew said. What I've learned from Lee is what fashion could be. It went way beyond clothes and fashion. It was about storytelling and artistry.' More from WWD Kate Middleton, Queen Camilla and Brigitte Macron Embrace the French and U.K. Flag Colorscape for Windsor State Banquet Miley Cyrus Basks in a Field of Flowers for Gucci's New Flora Gorgeous Gardenia Eau de Parfum Intense Welcome to Can Nikita, an Oasis Made of Love in Ibiza Looking forward to sharing McQueen's mannerisms and gestures with Newton, Gary McQueen said, 'Lee almost had two sides to himself, where he had a split personality. He was a very down-to-earth person, and at other times, he was Alexander McQueen, who ruled his kingdom in the fashion world. He kind of separated himself from family and to who he was professionally.'Showgoers may be surprised by how McQueen managed 'to break down barriers and the snobbery that was attached to fashion houses at that time,' his nephew said. Coming of age in the 1990s, when many edgy designers and artists were making waves in various industries, that trajectory is 'very relatable to how the world is quite a hard place today.'Gary McQueen's aim is to continue his uncle's legacy through his art. Wishful that they had had more time together, he said, 'Lee could have achieved so much more. He never ran out of creative ideas. The only thing that took the joy away from what he did was the pressures of coming up with so many collections. As an artist, that really gets in the way of being creative. I feel that the pressure got to be too much for him.'Innovative with technology, the designer crafted a hologram of Kate Moss for his fall 2006 runway show. Speculating how technical advances like 3D printing and other ones used by Iris Van Herpen would have appealed to McQueen, his nephew said, 'There was a lot more that he could have achieved. He didn't because of the limitations of the time.'McQueen's death is addressed 'very peripherally but not in a graphical manner' with the help of the seven-year-old actor, who plays the designer's younger self and appears throughout the play. His nephew expects that 'House of McQueen' will help 'give marginalized people hope and aspiration about what they can achieve.'Lazes added, 'I don't think there's been a time in America history, when we were not more in need of a healing process. Lee dealt with rejection, bullying, hemophilia, misogyny, depression and suicide — issues that are very current and affect a wide, young demographic. Our hope is that through his spirit and legacy, we will begin that healing process.' Carrying on the designer's legacy is no small task, Gary McQueen said. 'Somehow, I've become like an ambassador for Lee for everybody in the family. That's not always easy. But as a creative, I feel that I can relate to him the most. As an artist, I try to carry that McQueen spirit through because the brand itself these days has become quite different than what Lee was about.'Referring to the brand, he continued, 'This happened a long time ago. It has nothing to do with the new designer (Seán McGirrr]. [Lee McQueen's successor] Sarah Burton managed to carry that spirit forward in her way. There is a certain spirit in the way that my uncle created his shows and the stories that he told within the shows. That aspect has been lost in the progress of the fashion house. It's hard to sum up that spirit. You felt it at Lee's shows, and at Sarah's shows.'Speaking of the inevitableness of such things happening at fashion houses over the years, McQueen said, 'There's a certain blueprint in places with certain cuts and pieces that they produce. But there are a lot of things that are being put out by the company that Lee probably never would have done.'As for whether many of his relatives will travel to New York for the opening, Gary McQueen said, 'Probably not. Many of them don't like to fly to be honest. It doesn't come naturally to me either. I've pushed myself out of all of my comfort zones to be where I am today as an artist. That perseverance has rubbed off from Lee.' With a one-year lease at the Mansion at Hudson Yards, the aim is that 'House of McQueen' will be extended to run for that length of time, before moving on to London. 'That's where the family will see it,' Gary McQueen said with a laugh. 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Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bottega Veneta Through the Years
It's hard to imagine Bottega Veneta, which last year surpassed the 1.6 billion euro mark and has reached global brand status, as a struggling, off-the-radar, near bankrupt leather goods label back in 2001 — and many may have forgotten that the acquisition of the brand was spearheaded by Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole, who were leading the then-Gucci Group. De Sole at the time revealed that Bottega Veneta had been at the top of the list of his acquisition targets, and with Ford, realized the brand's strong heritage based on high-quality leather accessories and shoes and Italian craftsmanship had huge potential. He believed the brand could exponentially grow its revenues, which in 2000 amounted to approximately $50 million. More from WWD Here's Why Tracee Ellis Ross Used a Height-illusion Styling Hack in Bottega Veneta Boots for Kendrick Lamar's Concert in Los Angeles Steve Madden Said He's 'Nicked' Luxury Shoes, Not Making Designer Ripoffs: 'It's Like Calling the Beatles a Knockoff Band' Ayesha Curry Shines in Crystal-embellished Aquazzura Heels and Rabanne Crop top at Time 100 Impact Dinner Ford did not get involved in the design of the collection, as he was taking over the over the design of the Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche rtw line, which Gucci Group acquired in November 1999. Instead, Tomas Maier was appointed to the role of creative director of Bottega Veneta. Initially, Gucci Group bought a 66.67 percent stake in Bottega Veneta via a capital investment of $96.2 million and the purchase of shares from its stockholders for $60.6 million, for a total of $156.8 million. The remaining 33.33 percent was in the hands of its shareholders — the Moltedo family. The company was founded in 1966 in Vicenza, Veneto, by Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro. Shortly after Zengiaro left Bottega Veneta at the end of the '70s, Taddei handed over the company to his ex-wife Laura Braggion, who headed the company with her second husband Vittorio Moltedo, and was the brand's creative director. She would contribute to the early success of the brand in the U.S., becoming an assistant of Andy Warhol, whose studios made the short film 'Bottega Veneta Industrial Videotape' in 1985, and opened the first store there in New York in 1972. The brand had achieved success in the '60s and '70s as an expression of high quality, discreet elegance and craftsmanship. At the time of the takeover, Bottega Veneta had 12 directly operated stores in the U.S., five in Europe and four in Asia, and the Italian luxury group mapped out its strategy to control distribution in Japan — historically a strong market for the brand – including the operation of 19 stores. Ohio-born Edward Buchanan joined Bottega Veneta after graduating from Parsons School of Design in 1995, and with creative director Laura Moltedo, he was tasked with developing the brand's first ready-to-wear collection as design director. The first fashion show for the brand was staged in October 1998 at Palazzo Serbelloni. Buchanan left the company after six years to launch his own Leflesh brand with Manuela Morin, also a Bottega Veneta alumna, and Giles Deacon joined the creative team for one year. The Moltedos exited Bottega Veneta shortly after Gucci Group's acquisition and Patrizio di Marco was recruited from Céline, where he was president of U.S. operations, to join Bottega Veneta as chief operating officer in May 2001. The following month, he was promoted to CEO, while at the same time, Tomas Maier was tapped as the brand's creative director, thereby setting up Bottega Veneta for its reinvention. The German-born Maier, who had spent nine years at Hermès and previously worked at Guy Laroche and Sonia Rykiel, was an unlikely savior for a company steeped in Italian tradition. But the tenets he set down — no logos and no compromises — redefined Bottega Veneta in an era of luxury branding run amok. The women's rtw line had made its debut in October 1997 and was briefly scrapped by Gucci. Maier reinstated it and in 2004, the company introduced menswear and quickly established its signature look: refined, realistic and steadily evolving, never trendy. From the brand's signature Intrecciato woven leather bags and leveraging the strength of its artisans, the history and cultural background of the region itself, Maier had set to create a lifestyle label. As the '90s logo mania raged on, he was attracted by the brand's tag line that resonated with the designer, who preferred sophisticated designs promoting individualism: 'When your own initials are enough.' Di Marco was tasked with repositioning Bottega Veneta in the luxury range, which was a tough call because the brand had strayed from its roots and diluted its brand DNA by embracing a flashier, less luxurious identity and had very little left of the old archives. The clarity of the vision and its disciplined execution paid off, and, after structuring its global organization and distribution, growing revenues more than tenfold in six years, in 2009 di Marco left the company on a high note and was called to lead the Gucci brand, succeeding Mark Lee as CEO. In January 2009, Marco Bizzarri, previously at Stella McCartney, was appointed president and CEO of Bottega Veneta, and although his arrival coincided with the global recession, he also succeeded in leading the brand through another growth phase. He continued to build the brand on discreet luxury and craftsmanship, establishing new 108,000-square-foot headquarters in Milan and investing in the company's human resources by providing its employees with a new headquarters in 2013 — the stately 18th-century Villa Schroeder-Da Porto, ensconced in a park about 16 miles from Vicenza, in the Veneto region of northern Italy. The site obtained the LEED Certification at the Platinum level developed by the Green Building Council, helping Bottega Veneta to become the first Italian company to reach that level in the fashion and luxury sector. The building included the atelier, management and administrative offices, storage of precious hides, the archives comprising 5,000 bags, a museum, a restaurant and its own school of artisan, which was internalized. Bottega Veneta conservatively restored the 54,000-square-foot villa, which is protected by the Italian government's department in charge of historic buildings and monuments, maintaining its local-stone facade, portals, columns, statues and fountains. He drove growth in Asia and further expanded the brand's retail footprint, opening a flagship in Milan. In 2014, Bizzarri went on to become CEO of Kering's newly created Couture and Leather Goods division, directly supervising most of Kering's luxury brands. Former Valentino and Ermenegildo Zegna Group executive Carlo Alberto Beretta was appointed CEO of Bottega Veneta in January 2015 and exited a year later, succeeded by former Hugo Boss CEO Claus-Dietrich Lahrs, at a time when the brand was impacted by the luxury downturn, as analysts lamented a lack of product innovation, imbalanced pricing architecture and over-dependence on the Chinese and tourist clientele and limited brand awareness in developed markets. In 2018, after 17 years, Maier left Bottega Veneta. Under his tenure, revenues went from 48 million euros to almost 1.2 billion euros in 2017, but the brand had struggled to keep up with rapid changes in the consumer landscape, as demand waned in its key market, Asia, and it failed to tap into a Millennial audience. He was succeeded by Daniel Lee, previously director of ready-to-wear at Céline, which followed earlier stints at Maison Margiela, Balenciaga and Donna Karan. In Sept. 2019, Bartolomeo Rongone, who goes by the name of Leo, previously COO at Saint Laurent, succeeded Lahrs. Lee helped revive the brand, turning it into a hot selling ticket and a trend-setting, influential label, injecting a new and youthful spirit to the collections. His designs, especially the accessories — from the signature Pouch bag, which was introduced in his first collection in 2019, or the Cassette bag and the Lido sandals — all flew off the shelves. He built momentum for the brand with disruptive strategies like erasing its Instagram account and staging traveling fashion shows in locations including London, Berlin and Detroit. In a surprising split, Lee exited the company in November 2021, which was deemed by several sources as a layoff, given the designer's complex personality. According to sources, Bottega Veneta was losing key figures within the company, starting from prized and highly skilled veteran artisans at the company's headquarters in Vicenza to pivotal managers who clashed with Lee, who was often described as uncommunicative. Matthieu Blazy, previously design director, was promoted internally, a few days after, and held his first show as creative director on Feb. 26, 2022. The event marked the brand's return to Milan Fashion Week and did not disappoint retailers and the press, as the collection was praised for respecting yet evolving the codes of the house and its precise and chic tailoring and strong accessories. Rongone helped Bottega Veneta log a 24.2 percent increase in revenues in 2021 compared with 2020, surpassing the 1.5 billion euro mark. Compared with 2019, revenues rose 32 percent. The CEO and Blazy were planning to move the company's new headquarters in Milan's Palazzo San Fedele. The executive has further driven the exclusivity of the brand by eliminating all markdowns and by streamlining the brand's wholesale accounts — increasing the number of concessions and also taking over online partners. During his tenure, Matthieu Blazy heated up Bottega Veneta and his inventive designs and fabrics research helped fuel the brand's business and expand it in key markets. His successful trajectory led him to nab the creative director job at Chanel, starting in 2025 and succeeding Virginie Viard. Louise Trotter was appointed to lead Bottega Veneta, leaving her role as creative director of Carven on Jan. 24, 2025. Trotter joined Carven in February 2023 and her first collection for the brand bowed in September 2023 during Paris Fashion Week. Carven had been absent from the runways and without a marquee designer for several years. Trotter reignited the label with her quietly sensual designs and her focus on textures would gel with Bottega Veneta and her predecessor's work at the brand. Before Carven, Trotter held the same role for four years at Lacoste. She studied fashion design at Newcastle University, and worked at contemporary British label Whistles before moving Stateside to design for Calvin Klein, and later Gap and Tommy Hilfiger. Trotter returned to London for a stint at Jigsaw and then served as creative director of Joseph from 2009 to 2018, a period of product diversification and international expansion for the brand. During her four-year tenure at Lacoste, she beefed up the womenswear offering and explored innovative methods of upcycling. Best of WWD Chanel's Ambassadors Over The Years Ranking Fashion's Longest-serving Creative Directors The Biggest Designer Exits of 2024: John Galliano, Matthieu Blazy, Hedi Slimane, Kim Jones, Virginie Viard and More Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
