Bottega Veneta Marks 50 Years Of The Signature Intrecciato With A Powerful Tribute To Craftsmanship

Bottega Veneta commemorates a major milestone in its heritage: 50 years of the iconic Intrecciato weave. Launched as part of this celebration, the new global campaign titled ‘Craft is our Language’ pays tribute to the artisanal roots and creative soul of the luxury house.

First introduced in 1975, Intrecciato (pronounced in-treh-chah-toh) is Bottega Veneta’s signature leather weaving technique, instantly recognisable for its intricate diagonal pattern and luxurious feel. More than just a design, it has become a visual language of the brand, symbolising craftsmanship, interconnectedness, and quiet sophistication. It is this spirit that the new campaign sets out to capture.

Photographed by Jack Davison and choreographed by Lenio Kaklea, the campaign is built around hand gestures—both symbolic and practical. It juxtaposes the hands of Bottega’s own artisans with those of global creatives across disciplines, highlighting how craft is both a method and a message. Intrecciato, in this context, becomes a metaphor for the ties that bind artists, makers, and cultures.

The visuals feature a cross-disciplinary and international cast, including actress Julianne Moore, director Dario Argento, singer-songwriter Jack Antonoff, sculptor Barbara Chase-Riboud, writer Zadie Smith, tennis player Lorenzo Musetti, and actor Troy Kotsur, among many others. These individuals represent excellence in their fields while reinforcing the campaign’s core idea: that craft transcends boundaries, connecting minds and hands across time and space.

Some of the campaign’s most meaningful moments come from those who share a deeper history with the brand. Lauren Hutton, for instance, famously carried a Bottega Veneta Intrecciato clutch in the 1980 film American Gigolo, helping propel the weave into pop culture. Edward Buchanan, who served as Bottega’s Design Director in the late 1990s, was instrumental in introducing the brand’s first Ready-to-Wear collection.

Short films in the campaign bring these stories to life by featuring real dialogues between Bottega artisans and collaborators such as Chase-Riboud, Hutton, Terrance Lau, and Thanaerng. These conversations—spoken through words, gestures, and hands—underscore the campaign’s message: craft is a universal language.

Since its founding in 1966 by a collective of artisans in Italy’s Veneto region, Bottega Veneta has stayed true to a no-logo philosophy. Instead, the brand distinguishes itself through the impeccable quality of its materials and construction. Intrecciato exemplifies this ethos—requiring days of meticulous hand weaving, often around moulds or onto leather bases, using slender leather strips called fettucce.

While remaining rooted in tradition, the technique has evolved to reflect contemporary forms and uses, adapting to the body and to time without needing reinvention. According to the brand, Intrecciato is always “in motion”—transmitted across generations, ever open to reimagining.

‘Craft is our Language’ also nods to Bottega’s Italian heritage and pays homage to artist Bruno Munari’s 1963 book Supplement to the Italian Dictionary, which catalogues hand gestures as a form of cultural expression. In the same way, Bottega’s campaign reflects a deeper, tactile vocabulary—a conversation between hands and hearts.

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A book under the same title will release in September, alongside a second instalment of the campaign. It will feature 50 distinct gestures—a symbolic dictionary of Bottega Veneta’s values and enduring relationship with the human hand.