Bottega Veneta celebrates 50 years of the Intrecciato with a campaign that transcends language barriers – “Craft is Our Language”
One of the most recognisable emblems of Bottega Veneta is the house’s iconic leather weave, Intrecciato. First introduced in 1975, Intrecciato defines the brand’s founding principles of craft and creativity, drawing on a long Italian tradition of weaving and the leatherworking expertise of Bottega Veneta’s native Veneto region. The process behind the craft is demanding, in both time and skill: the slender leather strips, known as fettucce, are hand woven into a leather base panel, or around a wooden mould.
To celebrate half a decade of the Intrecciato, Bottega Veneta launches the ‘Craft is our Language’ campaign which looks at what this iconic weave represents beyond a way of making – it symbolises the interconnectivity, exchange, and collaboration at the core of Bottega Veneta since it was founded by a collective of artisans in 1966. As such, the campaign features a series of hand gestures that not only represent Intrecciato but also a universal language that connects people across generations, cultures, backgrounds, and contexts.
Photographed by Jack Davison and choreographed by Lenio Kaklea, ‘Craft is our Language’ stages a dialogue between maker and wearer, artist and artisan, hand and mind – presented in both individual and paired compositions. Bottega Veneta artisans are featured alongside practitioners across the realms art, film, fashion, literature, music, and sports.
Among them, notably, are two individuals who each excel in their craft and also speak to the history of Bottega Veneta and Intrecciato: Edward Buchanan who was the Design Director of the house from 1995 to 2000, and introduced the brand’s first ever Ready-to-Wear collection; Lauren Hutton who put Bottega Veneta and its signature weave on the cultural map when she carried an Intrecciato clutch in the 1980 film American Gigolo.
The other practitioners featured, across the realms of art, film, fashion, literature, music, and sports, include singer-songwriter and record producer Jack Antonoff, director Dario Argento, artist and sculptor Barbara Chase-Riboud, singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry, filmmaker and record producer Dave Free, singer I.N, actor Troy Kotsur, actress Vicky Krieps, actor Terrance Lau, actress Rie Miyazawa, actress Julianne Moore, tennis player Lorenzo Musetti, actress Shu Qi, writer Zadie Smith, singer-actress Thanaerng, recording artist and producer Tyler Okonma and conductor Lorenzo Viotti.
In the campaign’s short films, we witness conversations and exchanges beyond languages, the exploration of the commonality of gestures, and the role of hands in communicating and creating across cultures and practices – blurring the lines between what separates ‘artist’ and ‘artisan’, honouring the shared etymological root of both words, derived from the Latin word “ars“, meaning “art, skill, craft”.
A craft that is always in motion, the campaign’s narrative highlights how Intrecciato evolves in the Bottega Veneta ateliers, and adapts to the wearer’s body and movement, and then carefully passed down through generations of artisans. The House maintains its differentiation and expressiveness by craft and not by logo.
The campaign’s concept and aesthetic pays homage to Milanese artist and designer Bruno Munari and his classic 1963 handbook of Italian gestures, Supplemento al Dizionario Italiano (which means supplement to the Italian dictionary) is an ode to expressions of the hands and body, many of which became part of the wider Italian – and international – vernacular. In this vein, the ‘Craft is our Language’ campaign will be releasing a book representing the 50 gestures that constitute a “dictionary” of the language, the craft, and the values of Bottega Veneta. The book will be released in September, alongside a second installment of images and films, featuring an additional cast of talents.
Images courtesy of Bottega Veneta, artwork by Curatedition. All rights reserved.
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