The Bottega Veneta bean bags got the Internet crazy

In Fashion Week, you can't expect too much; you have to settle for sitting uncomfortably for the duration of a show, perhaps with the bulky outfit of the person sitting next to you spilling onto you, or the hat of the person in front forcing you to tilt your head to see the runway. However, at the Bottega Veneta show, guests had a pleasant surprise: adorable leather bean bags shaped like animals to keep the entire audience comfortable. From Jacob Elordi, who had a rabbit, to A$AP Rocky, who sat on a chair shaped like a rooster, each attendee had their own seat, and what a chair! Two days after the show, social media is still buzzing about it, although the price ($7,000), like most of the brand's offerings, isn't exactly accessible.

After the show, Bottega Veneta confirmed that the beloved bean bags would soon be available for purchase. Inspired by the Zanotta Sacco, the famous soft chair from the Italian design brand, the maison’s seats will be part of the collection "The Ark" and represent, as expressed by creative director Matthieu Blazy, «a joyful world with a sense of wonder, populated by friendly companions that make you smile and say 'wow'». This isn't the first time the Italian brand has looked to the world of design and art to create its seats: last year, it launched a collaboration with Gaetano Pesce, who took care of the entire set design for the SS23 presentation. While the partnership with the Italian artist, who passed away last April, celebrated diversity in all its forms and colors, with seats of a simple yet extremely eccentric look, for Blazy, The Ark perfectly embodies the softness and non-conformity of the maison and its leather goods line.

The Zanotta Sacco is a design from the late 1960s, created by the trio Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, and Franco Teodoro. While the original chair is quite mature, even though it is essentially a large cushion with a backrest, Bottega Veneta's The Ark collection playfully interprets its unpredictable shape. Foxes, elephants, chicks, whales, and horses filled each seat with personality, adding humor to an otherwise rather intellectual show - we're talking to you, gray blazers. Perhaps this is the secret to the success of designers like Blazy (and we could add colleagues Jonathan Anderson and Francesco Risso): combining textile research, product quality, and garment excellence with playful, almost childlike details. In a full imitation of Noah's Ark, from which the collection draws its inspiration, Bottega Veneta launched a limited-edition collection of chairs on its website last Sunday, two for each animal. The chairs will appear at the Miami Design fair next December, and over the coming months, the maison will continue to produce limited collections of them.