All about Louise Trotter

With all these resignations, dismissals, divisions, and new appointments, the fashion world is getting a bit chaotic. So much so that the public has started complaining about a certain lack of female representation at the top of the creative direction of major luxury fashion houses, which in all this commotion seem to have forgotten the famous concept of inclusivity. Yesterday, however, the announcement of Louise Trotter as the artistic director of Bottega Veneta interrupted a long string of male appointments. Replacing Matthieu Blazy, who, after three years leading the Intrecciato brand, moves to Paris to work with the tweed of Chanel, Trotter brings back to the luxury fashion Olympus the practical femininity that we had been missing. Minimalist, elegant, sophisticated, and tied to an idea of femininity that is delicate yet resolute, Trotter has all the qualities to uphold the pride of Bottega Veneta, which achieved remarkable success under Blazy thanks to hero products like the Sardine and the Jodie, as well as collaborations with the worlds of design, art, and cinema, from Gaetano Pesce to Jacob Elordi. «Through Louise Trotter's sophisticated lens - commented the brand's CEO Leo Rongone - Bottega Veneta will continue to celebrate its heritage while preserving its modernity.»

Born in 1969 in Sunderland, England, Louise Trotter’s career began at Calvin Klein, Whistles, GAP, Tommy Hilfiger, and finally Jigsaw and Joseph. It was in the design offices of these last two brands that her artistic vision started to take shape: Trotter designs for elegant yet busy women, for working professionals who maintain a passion for design and possess a strong aesthetic sense, and for clients who demand high-quality materials and excellent functionality in their garments. After nine years at the helm of Joseph, an English brand that experienced remarkable growth under her leadership, Trotter was chosen in 2019 by Lacoste, a tennis icon. She was the first female designer to fully lead the brand, one of the pioneers in encouraging Lacoste to expand beyond its traditional boundaries. In Trotter's collections for Lacoste, the Crocodile becomes an even more central icon in the brand's DNA, while silhouettes and colors become bolder, more versatile, and more daring. Fully embracing the sporty-chic trend of those years, the English designer successfully attracted a younger clientele for Lacoste by leveraging the brand’s historical roots to offer an aesthetic that is vintage with a contemporary twist. Lacoste’s connection with tennis takes center stage with pleated miniskirts, technical bombers, reimagined polo shirts, and other preppy items like vests and logoed knitwear. 

In 2023, after four years in Lacoste's design offices, Trotter moved to Carven, a brand founded by Carmen de Tommaso in 1945. The approach the English designer used to reshape the maison's image drew inspiration from her designs for Joseph, evident in the neutral palettes, while her choice of fabrics and accessories—particularly refined and cultured—slightly nods to Phoebe Philo’s work at Celine. In Trotter’s collections for Carven, the maison's heritage emerges through lightweight materials and the juxtaposition of traditionally masculine tailoring elements with soft, transparent, and sensual lines and textures. It feels natural to draw parallels with Phoebe Philo's Celine because Trotter adheres to the intellectual fashion trend: a design ethos that avoids flashiness but surprises with its subtlety. There are no logos or graphics—this is the fashion of IYKYK (if you know, you know). In just a year, Trotter has steered the brand toward a more contemporary trajectory. As stated by Bottega Veneta's CEO, who prepares to welcome Trotter for her first show for the maison in September 2025, the designer's sophisticated approach will help sustain the energy that Blazy ignited around the brand. Finally bringing to the runway a female perspective, capable of making functional sensuality and elegant practicality a reality, we are confident that Trotter will be able to address the needs of clients, infusing her designs with a vision that is absolutely fantastic yet firmly grounded in the present.