Kering's Bottega Veneta hires Lee from Celine as creative head

[June 15, 2018]  PARIS (Reuters) - Bottega Veneta has hired Daniel Lee from French luxury house Celine as creative director to breath new life into the Italian leather goods maker, its owner Kering <PRTP.PA> said on Friday.

German designer Tomas Maier at the Bottega Veneta Autumn/Winter 2016 women's collection during Milan Fashion Week, February 27, 2016. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo/File Photo

Lee, 32, was most recently head of ready-to-wear at LVMH's Celine, but the British-national had previously worked at Maison Margiela, Balenciaga and Donna Karan, Kering said.

German designer Tomas Maier stepped down as Bottega's creative designer earlier this week as the house seeks to put the brand on track after weak sales in recent years.

"Daniel Lee has a deep understanding of the House's current challenges both in terms of creation and development," Bottega Chief Executive Claus Dietrich Lahrs said in a statement.

"He will bring to Bottega Veneta a new and distinctive creative language that will continue building the House's success based on the ambitious foundations already developed over recent years."

(Reporting by Leigh Thomas; editing by Michel Rose)

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