On January 5, Bottega Veneta disappeared from social networks. Without giving any explanation to date, the luxury brand of the Kering group said goodbye to its official Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Into an era in which fashion overflows from its traditional channels to reach as many people as possible, the online presence is very important. But the luxury brand owned by the Kering Group under the creative direction of Daniel Lee is not on the same page, disappearing from all the official social profiles. The independent accounts, which are not managed directly by the brand, remain active; @newbottega, the most famous, then @bottegaveneta.by.daniellee, @bottegaveneta_international and @bottega.men . The only official account remaining active is Youtube.
An unusual decision, far from its colleagues. In fact, during the pandemic they have boosted their online presence to the maximum. Starting from TikTok to other digital platforms, such as Twitch and the world of gaming, fashion brands have invested a lot to get closer to the new generations and not to fall into oblivion, with closed shops and physical events, cancelled until a later date.
But what is behind the blackout? Is it a marketing choice due to the upcoming collection? Should we expect anything else or simply get used to their absence? And above all, will it remain an isolated case or will it kick off an anti-social revolution?
It is the consequence of the exposure to excessive proliferation of contents and interactions with the fashion houses, a condition in which it is easy that the perception of exclusivity loses its power. Just think of last September, when Prada saw the explosive duo Miuccia and Raf Simons for the first time in its creative management. At the end of the show, they were involved with the public into an informal conversation, where they answered diverse questions that came through the Web. So, the boundaries between the Maison and their audience were totally destroyed when, between one curiosity and the other about the collection and the creative process, they narrated about their personal morning routine.
But that’s just one of the many examples we could give. For instance, deciding how and whether to communicate is certainly one of the first choices that brands will have to make in the year to come. However, the choice to disappear like this could be successful in giving back that idea of elitism and charm to the Fashion System, and to the brand, which has been very dispersed in an attempt to chase online users.
On the other hand, this farewell to the Bottega Veneta social media stage was not so unpredictable: several times the creative Daniel Lee declared his intolerance to the spotlight.
In fact, he never had a personal social profile and in an interview in 2019 at Vogue UK he declared himself “curious” about an old-time “return to privacy”, far from the social agora (Phoebe Philo docet). Bottega Veneta, amid its rebirth and after a period of crisis, was able to leave its mark thanks to the stylistic choices of recent times.
Whether you like it or not, social networks are the bridge between the brand and its community. But, until proven otherwise, before Influencers and creative feeds, it was possible to be relevant even without digital platforms. Therefore, the question remains whether the choice of this low profile is to remain faithful to its values only through touchable clothes and future collections. Just like in the past and, above all, whether it is a winning choice or not.