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.
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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
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Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
The bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
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Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
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On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
