Why were the white stools at the Bottega Veneta show wrinkled? Each dent is a trace left by a "hug"
Every chair is unique!
Summary
- Bottega Veneta created seating for its Spring/Summer 2027 show using 550 white square stools.
- The seats were created by Ukrainian artist Illya Goldman Gubin, based on everyday cardboard boxes.
- The artist personally hugged and squeezed the boxes, leaving behind various dents and creases.
- The cardboard boxes were finally reinforced with fiberglass and resin to become functional seats.
- As the shapes left by each hug are different, no two of the 550 chairs are exactly alike.
In a fashion show, design is never limited to just the clothes. From the models’ styling and walks to the music, lighting, and set design, every detail plays a part in the narrative. Even the most easily overlooked element—the seating—is no exception. The 550 white square stools at Bottega Veneta’s Spring/Summer 2027 show hold a romantic story about bodies and embracing.
At a Bottega Veneta show, even the chairs are worth a closer look
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As a brand known for its craftsmanship, Bottega Veneta has turned runway seating into a talking point multiple times in the past. For its Spring/Summer 2027 show, 550 pure white square stools lined up neatly in a minimalist space, paired with leather flowers. They might look simple, but a closer glance reveals dents and creases of varying depths on each chair’s surface. They weren’t damaged in shipping, nor is the brand deliberately going for a distressed look—these “imperfections” are actually their most important design feature.
Every chair was first personally “hugged” by the artist
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These 550 seats are the work of Ukrainian artist Illya Goldman Gubin. Using ordinary, unremarkable cardboard boxes as a base, he physically hugged and squeezed the boxes, letting the pressure from his arms, chest, and body distort their straight lines to leave dents and creases on the surface. After shaping them, he reinforced the boxes with fiberglass and resin, transforming fragile, temporary cardboard into real chairs that people can sit on. And because the force and posture of each hug was different, no two chairs in the world are exactly alike.
At a Bottega Veneta show, a chair is never just a chair
Images from ig / @illyagoldmangubin
While the fashion industry is used to chasing precision, neatness, and a near-flawless finish, these seats do the opposite by preserving the direct traces left by the human body. Those seemingly “wrinkled” spots are exactly why the pieces can’t be mass-produced, letting an entirely unremarkable cardboard box become something truly unique through human touch.
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