Handbags, shoes, accessories, jewellery, perfumes and home furnishings are the specialities of Italian fashion house Bottega Veneta. And all of the highest quality and designed with great attention to detail.
Intrecciato, meaning braid, is the special braided leather pattern with which the company distinguishes itself in the market. In 2001 Bottega Veneta was absorbed by the Gucci Group and became part of the French luxury group Kering. The creative director of the house, from November 2021, is Matthieu Blazy.
Luxury from artisans
Bottega Veneta is a luxury company founded in 1966 in Vicenza, Italy. It was founded by Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro. At the time the company's main activity was the artisanal production of leather goods. In the early 1970s it developed a braided leather pattern, the intrecciato, which became a trademark of the brand. The founders left the company in the late 1970s, handing over the management to Laura Braggion, Taddei's ex-wife. The new owner married Vittorio Moltedo, who co-managed the company with her for the following decades.
In 1972 the brand opened its first shop in the United States, in New York. In 1980 actress Lauren Hutton wore a Bottega Veneta shoulder bag in the film American Gigolo. Andy Warhol made a short film about the brand. Laura Braggion served as artistic director until 2001, when the company was absorbed by the Gucci Group (now fashion conglomerate Kering). Tomas Maier became artistic director.
Breeze of fresh air
The brand renewed its relationship with the tanneries, relaunched its iconic bags and completed all the archives since its founding. In transforming the brand, Tomas Maier's main emphasis was on quality, craftsmanship and exclusivity. Originally from Germany, the designer knew what he was doing - he trained in Paris and worked for luxury brands in France, Germany and Italy. His portfolio includes names such as: Guy Laroche, Sonia Rykiel or companies: Revillon and Hermès. In 1999 he ended all his commitments and moved to Florida. He was appointed artistic director of Bottega Veneta by Tom Ford in June 2001 and designed his first collection under the label in September.
For the first two years boutiques opened in London, Paris, Milan and New York. The first show of the women's ready-to-wear line took place in February 2005 and the first men's line in June 2006. To preserve the brand's traditions, the Scuola della Pelleteria, a specialized craft school, was created in Vicenza in 2006. New boutiques in the United States appeared.
In 2011 together with perfume company Coty Prestige Bottega Veneta launched its first fragrance for women, followed a year later by its debut fragrance for men. In June 2018. Tomas Maier left Bottega Veneta. In June 2018 Daniel Lee, former ready-to-wear director at Céline, became artistic director. The Pouch handbag, one of his first creations, became a bestseller for the brand.
The new Bottega
November 2021. Daniel Lee stepped down as artistic director and was replaced by Matthieu Blazy, who continues to set the brand's course today. Born in Paris in 1984, the designer is a graduate of La Cambre in Brussels. He began his career in fashion in the atelier of Raf Simons, then joined the house of Martin Margiela. In 2014 he became a senior designer at Céline and later joined Calvin Klein. In 2020 he was appointed director of ready-to-wear design at Bottega Veneta and later took over its artistic direction. He divides his time between Antwerp and Milan, where the company is currently based.
While remembering its classic elegant roots, the brand is not afraid of novelty and distinctiveness. Its collections are dominated by juicy colours: green, red, yellow, cobalt. Among the exclusive additions and accessories in the 2022 spring collection are the insane... roller skates.
Bottega Veneta for men:
Bottega Veneta for women:
