Bottega Veneta
Visualising Quiet Power Working as a Client Advisor for Bottega Veneta, I had the opportunity to collaborate on an editorial photo project showcasing the brand's iconic bags. Bottega Veneta's identity rests on individualism, quiet power, and exceptional creativity and craftsmanship — the mission was to capture that essence through striking in-store photography, turning product shots into visually compelling content for social media and magazine features.
Services
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Photo & video
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Brand strategy
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AI
Challenge
I was tasked with capturing an editorial shot inside the store, but it quickly became clear that the store's physical background couldn't carry the luxurious, lifestyle-driven mood the bags themselves embody. Research into editorial fashion photography pointed toward natural environments as a better fit for that mood — open, atmospheric settings rather than retail interiors.
The constraint was real: I couldn't physically shoot on location. So I turned to AI-generated backgrounds as a way to transcend the store's limitations and build an image that actually reflected the brand's elegance, without compromising on the product itself.
Solution
The focus landed on two pieces carrying real weight for the brand at the time — the HOP and ANDIAMO bags. The HOP bag's intricate lattán detail became the starting point for a holiday-inspired concept, leaning into a vibe that was relaxed but still refined. For the ANDIAMO bags, I experimented with a tower-style arrangement, eventually landing on three bags stacked together — a composition that read as a clean, elegant statement of form and structure.
Backgrounds were built in Adobe Photoshop using generative AI, with multiple prompt iterations tested before landing on an outdoor-inspired atmosphere that actually blended with the products rather than sitting awkwardly behind them. Each version was refined and re-tested until the combination of background, lighting, and mood felt cohesive with the theme. From there, the images were finalised and polished for submission — adjusted until the overall aesthetic and storytelling matched the standard the brand's editorial work demands.
Impact
Working with generative AI on this project changed how I think about editorial photography. Blending AI-generated environments with traditional photographic technique opened up possibilities that wouldn't have existed within the constraints of the physical store — letting me shape mood, ambience, and composition more deliberately, and giving the final images a level of storytelling and luxury-brand polish that matched Bottega Veneta's own standards.