The collaboration between Bottega Veneta and Gaetano Pesce starts with the Spring-Summer collection 23 Ready to Wear show, during which Matthieu Blazy decides to accompany his work with that of the well-known designer and architect. Pesce realizes the fashion show floor and 400 chairs in resin; the latter in addiction to serving as seating for guests, become the symbol to communicate the concept of diversity, fundamental for both the brand and the artist. Come stai? is the series name, an intimated and personal question which enhance the interlocutor’s individuality. The seats have a strong structure, matched with a vivid color palette and irregular patterns for each piece, making them original and especially unique. This concept is also evoked in the catwalk, on which there is a writing, motto of the artists “This is a tribute to diversity” actively contributing to the aesthetic and conceptual show performance.
“This chair is a tribute to diversity. It is about the human being, we are all different”
On the occasion of Miami Art Basel, the collaboration continues with an exhibition, opened to the public from the November 30th to December 4th, where will be presented a seats selection available for sale. Come stai? is also the new book commissioned by Bottega Veneta with Gaetano Pesce and Matthieu Blazy. The limited edition publication explores the the ideation, approach, and process of the collaboration, examining deeper into the many connections between Pesce and Blazy’s creative practices and values. The volume evokes in every aspect the design of Come stai? shown during the fashion show: the shape is atypical just like that of the chair, whereas the cover becomes a mouthpiece for the uniqueness concept. Inspired by the colors and the resin materials, an irregular and abstract shape different for each issue is illustrated on the cover.
“You don’t sit on a chair to go on a mission. It’s a pause, a moment of comfort. ‘Come stai?’ was that for me. It is very precious to be asked sincerely how you are. And what a beautiful name for a chair.”
For Pesce the diversity theme has always been a reference point in his creative mind. Realizing unique pieces he poses himself opposite to industrial culture, according to him indeed every project has to express and comunicate the singular spirit and the differences which identify ourselves. Inside the publication the contributes of Blazy and Maria Cristina Didero, Design Miami Curatorial Director, and an interview between Gaetano Pesce e Hans Ulrich Obrist support the project origins, whereas Stephen Shore and Sandler Muylaert shown with photographs the progression and the production of the chairs. The book has been revealed with a photo immediately becoming a symbol of the whole collaboration between the fashion world and that of design and architecture. The top model protagonist is Kate Moss, iconic in her beauty, who poses totally naked seating on one of the chairs signed by the designer, with a completely nonchalant approach. The picture, so evocative, sensual but extremely discreet at the same time, best embodies “the world in a little room”.
For further information bottegaveneta.com.
