From Travis Scott to surreal artwork: Bottega Veneta cements new vision through latest digital journal

Called Volume 02, the new digital magazine presents fashion as irreverent art

The sandcastle Flash clog, by David Brandon, for Bottega Veneta's Issue 02 digital journal. Courtesy Bottega Veneta

In-demand Italian brand Bottega Veneta has released Volume 02 of its "digital journal".

In the three years since being named creative director of Bottega, Daniel Lee has transformed the house from something akin to a favourite grandmother –beloved but a little dowdy – to the last word in eccentric cool creativity.

Moving past the storied history, Lee has helped the label embrace youth culture and a far less structured approach.

Now, to help cement this new vision further, Lee has enlisted 19 artists to depict an element of Bottega Veneta as they wish for the second issue of the digital ‘zine.

A mix of photography, still life and video, the beautifully chaotic result has rapper Travis Scott – as photographed by David LaChapelle – standing hip deep in water, with his swim shorts, sunglasses and grille all in the precise new shade Lee has installed as the house colour: Bottega green.

New York photographer David Brandon Geeting, meanwhile, brings a childlike glee to things with his image of a giant sandcastle version of Bottega's Flash Clog shoe, while Dutch photographer Carlijn Jacobs turns her surreal lens on to Bottega's latest accessories, offering hands covered in plastic jewellery.

In the digital journal, each artist is given a platform to show off their interpretation of Lee’s new vision for the house.

German art duo Pfeifer & Kreutzer imagine Bottega via a glorious contraption, whose sole purpose is to brush the sides of a shearling Cassette bag with a pair of car windscreen wipers.

From Manila, Patricia Doria brings her glossy 1980s-inspired airbrush illustrations, turning the Mount bag into an ice lolly, while Ning Zetao – the Chinese freestyle swimmer – has simply filmed himself going down a water slide, wearing green shorts.

As we swoosh through the plastic tunnels and sloshing water with him, it is hard not to enjoy the summery thrill of it all.

Elsewhere, American musician, artist and ceramicist Seth Bogart has re-worked his Fantast Toothbrush series, so now clay toothbrushes start with toothpaste and bristles at one end, and finish off with a shoe at the other.

Playful, bizarre and cheerily iconoclastic, this is what the new Bottega is all about, as Lee nods to the house codes and then merrily ignores them, heading off into new and uncharted territory.

Brave, audacious and bursting with energy, this could well be the future of fashion as we know it.

_________________

Read more:

'The act of making clothes is very intimate': Cynthia Merhej rewrites the rules of ready-to-wear

Arab Fashion Council to send five regional designers to Paris Fashion Week

_________________