Daniel Lee

If there is one name that grabbed the attention of the industry this year, it was Daniel Lee, creative director of Kering-owned luxury Italian brand Bottega Veneta. The 33-year-old British born designer – an alumnus of London’s Central Saint Martins and former director of ready-to-wear under Phoebe Philo at French brand Celine – joined Bottega Veneta as creative director in June 2018, taking over from Tomas Maier.

Lee reinvented the label, which was known for its super-luxurious leather and signature woven accessories. His catwalk debut in February this year was the most anticipated show. This was followed up by a stellar spring 20 outing. His woven mules, padded bags and pouch clutches in particular have defined the year, quickly becoming the “It” items of the past 12 months.

Owner Kering highlighted the “excellent reception” to Lee’s collections for boosting Bottega Veneta’s sales by 6.9% to €284m (£245m) in the third quarter of 2019.

This month, Lee was named Accessories Designer of the Year, British Womenswear Designer of the Year and Designer of the Year at the Fashion Awards, and Bottega Veneta was Brand of the Year.