It’s a big year for Bottega Veneta. In September, the newly-installed creative director Louise Trotter will debut her vision for the future of the Italian label. Before that though Bottega Veneta is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its Intrecciato weave, which was introduced a little less than a decade after the brand was founded in Vincenza, Veneto, and quickly established its reputation for craft and creativity. “In 1960s Italy, the market was dominated by heavy, stiff, and structured handbags,” recalls Barbara Zanin, Bottega Veneta’s Director of Craft and Heritage. “[Our] designs were characterized by their great softness—the bags were fluid, supple, simple. The introduction of the Intrecciato gave the bags a fluidity, almost like a fabric.”
The Intrecciato technique utilizes long leather fettucce, or thin strips, that are woven into a leather base with slits in a diagonal pattern, instead of the more common vertical pattern. Much like cutting a piece of fabric on the bias, this technical development allowed for a softer structure. Its unique appearance became Bottega Veneta’s calling card; eschewing the logo-driven trends of other luxury labels, in its first advertising campaigns it boasted: “People know a Bottega the minute they see one. So we put our name on the inside only.”
With Paul Schrader’s 1980 film American Gigolo, the Intrecciato bag became an indelible part of the fashion pop culture canon when Lauren Hutton’s character carried a burgundy clutch in the crook of her arm. The bag was appropriately re-released as the “Lauren Clutch” in 2017, and it’s since become a favorite of celebrities—and the not-so-famous—who want to show off their good taste in a subtle way; although these days the Intrecciato is as easily recognizable as anything with logos on it.
There is a world of possibility within Intrecciato. In 2002, when Tomas Maier was the creative director at the brand, he introduced the Cabat bag, which was entirely hand-woven on a wooden frame, a process that was named Intreccio (the Intrecciato utilizes a needle for the weaving process). Further experiments with different types of leather have yielded other signature styles; Zanin mentions “a padded fettucce for a more plush appearance,” or an “an ultra-soft nappa leather that retains the impression of movements and folds of the weaving process to create a specially textured look.”
To ensure that a passion for craft continues to be at the heart of Bottega Veneta, the house launched the Accademia Labor et Ingenium in 2023, a school that instructs the next generation of artisans on the intricacies of their labor. “A central pillar of the school is a training program for 50 students a year, with guaranteed employment at Bottega Veneta on completion of the course,” explains Zanin, who helped establish it. “It’s our responsibility to ensure the transmission of our artisanal savoir-faire.”
