Kering offered no explanation for Maier's departure and said that his successor would be announced soon.

Bottega Veneta's sales surged after Maier arrived in 2001 as he breathed new life into the brand, though they have flagged in recent years due to markdowns and weaker Chinese demand.

Sales stabilised last year after Kering brought in former Hugo Boss chief executive Claus-Dietrich Lahrs to put the brand back on track.

The house has been bringing in new handbag designs, responding to criticism from some analysts that it has been a one product brand for too many years, relying heavily on its weaved-leather technique called intrecciato.

"It's largely due to Tomas's high-level creative demands that Bottega Veneta became the House it is today. He put it back on the luxury scene and made it an undisputed reference," Kering Chief Executive Francois-Henri Pinault said in a statement.

Saint Laurent overtook Bottega Veneta last year as Kering's second-biggest source of revenue. Gucci is by far the group's biggest earner.

(Reporting by Pascale Denis; writing by Leigh Thomas; editing by Mark Heinrich)