Bottega Veneta Celebrates 50 Years of Intrecciato with ‘Craft Is Our Language’
Fifty years in, Bottega Veneta’s signature weave still has more to say.
Bottega Veneta marks a milestone this week with the launch of Craft Is Our Language, a deeply considered campaign that honours 50 years of its most iconic signature: the Intrecciato leather weave. First introduced in 1975, the latticework design has transcended trend to become a living symbol of the house’s soul — one rooted in craft, collaboration, and quiet sophistication.
Shot by British photographer Jack Davison and choreographed by Lenio Kaklea, Craft Is Our Language is more than a tribute — it’s a manifesto. A meditation on the hand as both tool and storyteller, the campaign explores craft not just as a way of making, but as a means of communicating. Hands build, connect, express. Hands weave.
A Cast of Makers, Icons, and Collaborators
Across a striking series of stills and short films, the campaign features Bottega Veneta artisans in dialogue with a diverse cast spanning art, film, music, fashion, literature, and sport. Think: Zadie Smith. Tyler Okonma. Julianne Moore. Neneh Cherry. Stray Kids' I.N. Dario Argento. Jack Antonoff. Thanaerng. Shu Qi. And, crucially, Lauren Hutton — who carried an Intrecciato clutch in American Gigolo and became an early ambassador for the quiet power of the weave.
Former Bottega Design Director Edward Buchanan — the mind behind the house’s first ready-to-wear line in the ‘90s — also features, speaking not only to the legacy of the brand but to the living thread that runs through its community of makers and creatives.
The campaign doesn’t shout. It gestures. It’s intimate, textured, thoughtful — much like Intrecciato itself. That weave of slender leather strips (fettucce), handwoven into shape over hours or even days, isn’t just a technique; it’s a philosophy. As Bottega sees it, Intrecciato represents interconnection, exchange, and a kind of collective intelligence — a far cry from the logo-heavy language of luxury today.
A Living Legacy
At the centre of the campaign is Intrecciato itself — not just as a technique, but as a metaphor. The handwoven strips of leather, or fettucce, require hours, even days, of skilled labour. It’s a method born of Bottega’s Veneto roots and Italian weaving traditions, defined by precision, patience, and quiet mastery.
More than material, it’s a symbol of interconnection and collective craftsmanship — qualities the house has championed since its founding by artisans in 1966. Bottega Veneta has never relied on overt branding. Intrecciato is the brand. The weave moves with the body, evolves with time, and adapts to the wearer’s life. It doesn’t shout. It endures — always open to reinterpretation for the wearer. It’s this quiet adaptability that makes it unmistakable and eternal.
The Language of Intrecciato
In an industry obsessed with novelty, Craft Is Our Language is a reminder that the most powerful statements often come from the hands — from what is passed down, not reinvented. Intrecciato remains in motion, shaped by those who make and wear it.
Fifty years on, Bottega Veneta’s signature weave hasn’t lost its voice. It’s just learned to speak in more ways than one. In a rare moment of cultural alignment, Craft Is Our Language also draws inspiration from Bruno Munari’s 1963 book Supplement to the Italian Dictionary — a visual catalogue of Italian hand gestures. Referencing this shared physical language, the campaign features short films where artisans engage with figures like Barbara Chase-Riboud, Thanaerng, and Terrance Lau in a tactile exchange of gestures that cross borders and languages.
To extend the celebration, Bottega will release a book in September featuring 50 hand gestures — forming a conceptual “dictionary” of the house’s language, values, and craft. A second chapter of campaign visuals and films will accompany the release, featuring more global talents. In an industry often preoccupied with the new, Craft Is Our Language reminds us that true innovation comes from honouring what lasts — creation with care, passing on knowledge, and letting hands speak when words fall short.
