Bottega Veneta Is Bringing Its Most Covetable Bag Yet To London

Daniel Lee’s position as fashion’s current boy wonder shows no signs of slippage. Sales at Bottega Veneta, the Italian house of which he assumed creative control in 2018, jumped seven per cent in the second half of 2019 and demand for his Intrecciato leather accessories is at an all time high.

Harrods customers are particularly enamoured of his cloud-like clutches and quilted, woven mules. Now, the Brompton Road retail stalwart has secured an exclusive edit of spring/summer 2020 accessories, which will be launched with a dedicated pop-up in store from 7 February. Some pieces even come in – whisper it – Harrods’s own signature hue, or what Bottega calls Racing Green.

Padded Cassettes, Mini Jodie and Mini Arco bags will also be available to purchase, alongside the new Chain Pouch – a functional, and possibly even more covetable, iteration of the puffy original bearing a chain-link handle. The By Curve sandals will also come in a fresh, pale blue hue, dubbed Ice. We can see Rihanna wearing them already.

“Harrods customers are well informed and know the style or colour of the product they have in mind before entering the store,” Lydia King, fashion director at Harrods, tells British Vogue. Interest has been high since the team worked quickly to establish a dedicated first-floor Bottega Veneta space in October, immediately after King’s buying team had been “stopped in their tracks” in the Milan showroom, because the “product looked so beautiful and new”. This does not happen often, King assures us: Lee’s Bottega Veneta formula is something special. 

“Accessories have had huge waiting lists and the brand has struggled with production,” continues King of the “overwhelming” customer response. “This is unprecedented, since the days of the ‘It’ bag [in the 2000s] have spread more evenly to a variety of styles.”

The ephemeral boutique space will be open for one month, until 1 March, to coincide with fashion show season. Harrods’s storefront will also embrace the burgeoning Bottega frenzy, with four exhibition windows (some of the most expensive retail space in London) artfully decorated with squishy Racing Green and Ice accessories, alongside select pieces of spring/summer 2020 ready-to-wear.

“It’s a change for us to see customers love each category so much that they invest in head-to-toe looks,” explains King of the expansive buy – the most comprehensive selection possible, she assures. “In the absence of ‘old Céline’ there was demand for clean designs.”

Having had a sneak peek at the pre-fall 2020 collection, King predicts another “waiting-list frenzy” – particularly around the time of the label’s autumn/winter 2020 show on 22 February. “Fashion is always looking for a new rising star,” she continues, detailing why the discerning Harrods shopper is investing in the brand beloved by the industry (Lee won all four of the accolades he was nominated for at the Fashion Awards 2019).

Which pieces does Team Harrods advise sharpening your elbows for? “Historically, the Cassette has been hugely popular as a classic piece,” shares Annalise Fard, accessories director at Harrods. “And the By Twist bag, a style that is so unique to the brand but carries a sense of effortlessness, is another piece that I predict being hugely popular.” Get in line.