It’s possible that the hit Korean show served as its inspiration.
Bottega Veneta has launched an art installation in the outdoor parking space of Grand Hyatt Seoul. Titled “The Maze,” the immersive art piece came as a surprise to South Koreans as there were no prior announcements for the pop-up.
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The Italian fashion house didn’t feature any products in the installation; however, the space uses Bottega’s signature saturated shade of green. The color and textures seen inside are reminiscent of the pieces from their Fall/Winter 2021 collection—another surprise Bottega event in Berlin’s Berghain nightclub last April.
Pop culture inspiration
Due to the 16-meter long space’s shape and interactive features, many think Netflix’s thriller-drama Squid Game served as inspiration. The Korean series, which was watched by 130 million people globally and worth $900 million, is a current hit in popular culture in 90 countries.
The Maze is shaped like a triangle, a design element creative director Daniel Lee incorporates across his collections. As for the shape’s connection to Squid Game, it’s similar to the triangular dinner table (a reference to Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party art piece) used in the final episodes of the series.
Although the brand, which shut down all its social media accounts in January, has remained silent on the story behind The Maze. However, Bottega is likely riding on the dystopian craze Squid Game has influenced—and it’s an activation for the brand to solidify itself in South Korea.
The East Asian country is one of the leading luxury goods markets in the world. Only the USA, China, Japan, and the United Kingdom are ahead of South Korea regarding annual sales turnovers for personal luxury items.
Insta-worthy
By searching the hashtag #TheMaze Instagram, you’ll find a mix of celebrities and regular people posting photos in the brand’s latest marketing push. Choreographer Lia Kim, singer, and songwriter Bibi, and recording artists DPR LIVE and Christian Yu were present at the installation’s opening earlier this month.
Christian Yu writes, “coming to a city near you” in his Instagram post by The Maze’s synthetic foxtails. Given Bottega Veneta’s secretive approach to its projects, we probably wouldn’t know where and when their next attraction would be until it’s already there.
Banner from @hftgroup on Instagram.
