Shanghai, China – Italian luxury fashion house brand Bottega Veneta has recently opened ‘A Poetic Conversation’, an interactive poetry installation at the Rowing Club, Shanghai. The installation, done alongside LePub Milan and LePub Singapore, features several thousand editions of the anthology ‘In Such a Staggering World’ (Yao Yao Huang Huang De Ren Jian) by Yu Xiuhua, arranged in a three-dimensional Bottega Veneta brandmark.
Over the course of the day, members of the public can visit the installation and take home a copy for free.
For Bottega Veneta, Yu’s work is a powerful example of the self-expression that is integral to the brand’s founding values and ethos. Known for its iconic slogan ‘When your own initials are enough,’ the house has celebrated authentic individuality ever since it was established by a group of artisans near Venice in 1966.
With a no-logo philosophy, Bottega Veneta designs never overburden with branding, but rather empower each wearer to be whoever they want to be.
This ethos comes to life in ‘A Poetic Conversation’. As members of the public pick up their copy of Yu’s anthology, the Bottega Veneta trademark slowly disappears. What remains is the poetry and each reader’s response to it. ‘In Such a Staggering World’ becomes a companion on an individual journey, in the same way that Bottega Veneta bags adapt to the wearer as they move through their day and the world.
Moreover, the special edition of ‘In Such a Staggering World’ also comes with a fold-out When your own initials are enough poster, as well as a bookmark featuring a new Yu Xiuhua poem inspired by the tagline.
‘A Poetic Conversation’ will be Bottega Veneta’s second event this year with a prominent poet after the brand hosted a performance by Patti Smith during Milan Fashion Week. With a long history of engagement and advocacy across the arts, the brand identifies in poetry a freedom of personal expression and interpretation that resonates with its design philosophy.
