Is Tomas Maier the same person who designed Bottega Veneta?+
Yes. Tomas Maier is the German-born designer who served as Creative Director at Bottega Veneta from 2001 to 2018, and the eponymous Tomas Maier label is his own separate brand. So when people buy into the Tomas Maier name, they are buying into the sensibility of the designer who quietly defined Bottega Veneta for nearly two decades.
What is the Tomas Maier brand known for?+
Tomas Maier founded his eponymous label around swimwear, establishing the swimwear line in 1997 with business partner Andrew Preston and launching an online boutique in 1998. Over time the collection grew to include swimwear, knitwear and jersey, giving it a relaxed, resort-leaning identity distinct from his work at Bottega Veneta.
Why did Tomas Maier leave Bottega Veneta?+
Kering announced Maier's resignation on 13 June 2018, after a long and transformative tenure. Under his leadership Bottega Veneta tripled its revenues and exceeded $1 billion for the first time in 2012, though revenues fluctuated afterward and by 2017 Saint Laurent had overtaken it as Kering's second-biggest source of revenue.
Where can you buy Tomas Maier?+
At its height the Tomas Maier collection was sold at over 100 stores in more than 30 countries, supported by five eponymous boutiques in Palm Beach, Bal Harbour, East Hampton and New York City. Be aware, though, that the Tomas Maier brand was shut down in 2018, so new pieces are no longer produced and the secondhand market is now the main avenue.
Is the Tomas Maier label still in business?+
No. The Tomas Maier brand was shut down in 2018, the same year the designer resigned from Bottega Veneta, which definitively ended his cooperation with Kering. Existing pieces therefore live on through resale and archive channels rather than current-season collections.
Who backed the Tomas Maier label?+
On 19 November 2013, Kering announced it was investing in Tomas Maier's own label to, in its words, "infuse it with the capital needed to ramp up expansion, including the addition of more company-owned boutiques." As of that November, the private label generated about $10 million annually from swimwear, knitwear and jersey.
Did Tomas Maier ever collaborate with a mass-market brand?+
Yes. In 2018, Tomas Maier teamed up with the Japanese casual wear retailer Uniqlo for a one-time-only resort-focused collection. It proved to be a closing chapter for the label, which shut down that same year.
What is Tomas Maier's background and training?+
Maier was born in April 1957 in Pforzheim, West Germany, and raised in a family of architects, attending a Waldorf school as a child. He then headed to Paris, where he trained at the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, the foundation for a long career across French, Italian and German houses.
Where did Tomas Maier work before Bottega Veneta?+
Before Bottega Veneta, Maier designed for several houses including Guy Laroche, Sonia Rykiel, where he designed menswear for eight years, and Revillon, where he spent four years as creative director. He also spent nine years at Hermès as a women's ready-to-wear designer, where he additionally designed leather goods and accessories.
How did Tomas Maier change Bottega Veneta?+
Maier was appointed by Tom Ford in June 2001 and presented his first collection, made up solely of accessories, that September. In his first two years he oversaw the opening of Bottega Veneta flagships in London, Paris, Milan and New York, added ready-to-wear, and later helped found the artisan school La Scuola della Pelleteria in Vicenza in 2006, broadening the house into jewellery, furniture, eyewear, fragrance and more.
What aesthetic should I expect from a Tomas Maier piece?+
Given his roots in swimwear and his quiet, craft-led years at Bottega Veneta, a Tomas Maier piece tends to read as understated, resort-minded and built on knitwear and jersey rather than loud branding. If you appreciate the discreet, materials-first sensibility he became known for, the eponymous line offers it in a more relaxed, lifestyle register.
