Louise Trotter
Creative director of Bottega Veneta (since January 2025)
Louise Trotter is a British designer who has been creative director of Kering's Bottega Veneta since January 2025. Known for precise, wearable design and long experience across commercial and luxury brands, she previously led Joseph, Lacoste and Carven.
| Role | Creative director, Bottega Veneta |
|---|---|
| Since | January 2025 |
| Owner | Kering |
| Previously | Carven (2023 to 2025), Lacoste (2018 to 2023), Joseph (2009 to 2018) |
| Education | Northumbria University (1991) |
| Nationality | British |
Who is Louise Trotter?
Louise Trotter, born in Sunderland in the north east of England, is the creative director of Bottega Veneta, the Italian leather goods and fashion house owned by Kering. Her appointment was announced in December 2024 and she took up the role in January 2025. She presented her first collection, for Spring/Summer 2026, in Milan on 29 September 2025.
Career
Trotter studied fashion at what is now Northumbria University in Newcastle, graduating in 1991; the university awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2019. Her early career combined London fashion with large American companies:
- Designer and later design director at Whistles in London
- Head of womenswear at Calvin Klein and vice president of womenswear design at Gap in New York
- Design leadership at Tommy Hilfiger
- Creative director of Jigsaw from 2007
In 2009 she became creative director of Joseph, succeeding founder Joseph Ettedgui, and in 2014 launched a Joseph womenswear show at London Fashion Week. In 2018 she joined Lacoste as its first female creative director, staying until 2023. She then led Carven in Paris from 2023 until she moved to Bottega Veneta.
Influence on the fashion business
Trotter's career is unusual in spanning mass market, premium and luxury businesses, which gives her a strong understanding of product, merchandising and commercial structure. At Bottega Veneta she has framed her approach around the house's signature Intrecciato weaving technique, treating the studio as a workshop. Her debut included lightweight tailoring, nappa leather and a leather cape that required 4,000 hours of hand weaving, as well as new bag designs alongside reworked classics such as the Madison shoulder bag.
Why it matters
Bottega Veneta is one of the leading brands in the Kering portfolio, and its leather goods are central to the house's identity. Trotter's emphasis on craft and on the house's weaving heritage places her at the centre of its next chapter. She is also one of a small number of women leading a major luxury house, and her career path shows how experience in commercial fashion can prepare a designer for the top tier of the industry. For the wider industry, her appointment also confirmed the growing value that luxury groups place on designers with deep product and craft knowledge rather than purely image led profiles.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Louise Trotter?
Louise Trotter is a British fashion designer and the creative director of Bottega Veneta since January 2025. She previously led Carven, Lacoste and Joseph.
When was Louise Trotter's first Bottega Veneta show?
She presented her debut Spring/Summer 2026 collection in Milan on 29 September 2025, after about nine months of work at the house.