Bottega Veneta’s creative director Matthieu Blazy has doubled down on his vision of childlike wonder, which he debuted for the house in its Spring/Summer 2025 show. This makes sense, considering the animal shaped bean-bag chairs guests sat on, all crafted in the house’s signature leather, practically broke the internet back in September.
It’s worth noting that the clothes were also really good — chic tailoring and sharp silhouettes in bold colours and opulent fabrics were styled with flowers, animal-emblemmed shopping bags and dramatic tasseled headpieces.
Now Blazy has debuted a capsule collection in partnership with author Richard Scarry, featuring a re-imagination of the children’s classic ‘Biggest Word Book Ever!’, complete with a cover crafted from woven intrecciato leather. The Bottega version lives up to its name, measuring 62.5cm x 42.5cm and costing a cool £ 3,140. Not something every child will be expecting to receive from Santa this Christmas then.
In a press release at the time, Blazy said of the spring/summer 2025 collection: “As a kid, there is the adventure of the everyday—there’s a feeling that anything could happen, no matter how fantastical, and we are not so bound by regular expectations and conventions.”
This sense of fantasy continues throughout the recent partnership which “pays homage to Scarry's work and the universal delight that his fictional characters elicit”. Alongside the giant book (which is also available as a blank sketchbook, for budding art students with plenty of cash) there is a miniature apple pouch bag, multi-coloured ‘Dustbag’, belt and keyring all inspired by Scarry’s playful illustrations.
The author, who published over 300 books and has sold over 100 million copies, was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1919. After being drafted to World War II, Scarry worked in magazines and advertising in New York City upon his return. This included a brief stint at Vogue. In 1949, he made a career breakthrough with his children’s book series, ‘Little Golden Books’. He would become best known for his subsequent ‘Best Ever’ series, set in ‘Busytown’ and of which ‘Biggest Word Book Ever’ was a part. He died in 1994, aged 74, in Gstaad, Switzerland.
While we might not be able to afford any of the collection, we can certainly take inspiration from Blazy and Scarry’s sense of imagination. Now, where are our felt-tip pens…
