Italian fashion house Bottega Veneta reprised its Autumn/Winter 2023 collection for Bejiingers on July 20.
The third collection from creative director Matthieu Blazy, Bottega Veneta’s Autumn/Winter 23 showcases the spirit of the new era of the brand, with “dynamic craftsmanship” in the form of elevated street style at the fore. At the Beijing reprisal, the Chinese model Liu Wen was the first to grace the catwalk, whilst Du Juan’s walk closed out the show. The audience also had a strong celebrity contingent, with actors Jing Boran, Angelababy, and Zhou Yutong among the stars spotted.
Earlier this year, Bottega Veneta resurfaced on social media following a two-year hiatus spurred by former creative director Daniel Lee’s disdain for the “homogenisation of culture”. The move, which appeared to shun all the fundamentals of modern marketing, caused controversy in the luxury sector and confusion among fans, who resorted to unofficial pages to keep up with the brand. In the five months since BV’s return, the brand’s Weibo account has amassed 45,000 followers, while there is still no official Instagram account.
In line with the digital marketing strategies of its main competitors, Bottega Veneta promoted the event on Weibo and Xiaohongshu, including several atmospheric teaser videos. The show’s live broadcast received a cumulative 34 million views, whilst the related hashtag amassed a staggering 180 million, underscoring consumers’ appetite for content from the brand.
However, the brand’s performance in the Chinese market still leaves something to be desired, with the first quarter of 2023 seeing no year-on-year growth. Overall revenue in the Asia Pacific region even shrank by 1%. Given that 60% of Bottega Veneta’s revenue is driven by consumers under 40, the brand’s return to an active presence on Weibo, Xiaohongshu, and other platforms is critical to its future success.
