Intrecciato, the woven leather technique that’s become synonymous with Bottega Veneta, wasn’t developed to make a statement, but to provide a solution. Introduced by the Italian house in 1975, the weave’s subtle shift from horizontal to diagonal allowed for leather pieces—wallets, bags—to be both supple and sturdy. Over the decades, the technique—pronounced “in-treh-chah-toh” for the uninitiated—has become a quiet revolution in craft.
When Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro, the house’s founders, began crafting luxury leather goods in 1966, sewing machines were no match for dense animal hide. The Veneto region’s local artisans devised a method as intricate as it was innovative: weaving slender strips of leather, known as fettucce, into a perforated base. Rooted in leatherworking traditions native to Vicenza, where the house’s main atelier is located, the novel technique brought unprecedented malleability to calfskin and lambskin—and a timeless calling card to a nascent brand.
Taddei and Zengiaro knew the pattern would leave a more memorable impression than any logo, giving rise to Bottega Veneta’s credo: “When your own initials are enough.” This understated elegance reached new heights in the crook of Lauren Hutton’s arm: An oxblood Intrecciato clutch appeared tucked in the billows of her trench coat in the 1980 film American Gigolo, and the house’s vision quickly transcended its home country’s borders to achieve zeitgeist status.
At 50, the method is as iconic as ever, as evidenced by Bottega’s new “Craft Is Our Language” campaign, shot by Jack Davison and centering the hand gestures of cultural architects like Julianne Moore, Zadie Smith, Dario Argento, and, of course, Hutton. A-lister buzz aside, at the house’s atelier, Intrecciato weaving is preserved as a meditative technique largely untampered with by modern efficiencies—each piece is completed over hours, sometimes days, as fettucce are threaded together. Wallets, bags, and shoes now accompany collectible sculptural furnishings and home objects, but Intrecciato never strays too far from its roots. Its structure is a master class in both restraint and durability, a testament to Bottega Veneta’s commitment to slow fashion and generational wear—a beacon of timeless design, and proof that some things are meant to last.
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