Today the collaboration between designer and artisan is at the heart of everything we do...Every product we offer is made mostly or entirely
by hand."
Mr Tomas Maier, creative director, Bottega Veneta
Founded in 1966 in Vicenza, Italy, Bottega Veneta translates into English as Venetian atelier, or workshop. Craftsmanship has always been at the heart of the brand, and is a value which is preserved today, with all Bottega Veneta's leather goods made in Italy to exacting standards. Throughout the Sixties and Seventies, the brand became known for being discreet but unmistakably luxurious; it famously eschewed logos, advertising with the slogan 'When Your Own Initials Are Enough', and in the early Eighties produced a short promotional film by Mr Andy Warhol, who was himself a fan of the label.
Since taking over as creative director in 2001, Mr Tomas Maier has continued to promote Bottega Veneta's core values of innovation, quality and craftsmanship, while imbuing the collections with his signature aesthetic, which is unerringly sophisticated and assured. Although the range has grown to include fine clothes, shoes and furniture, leather goods remain the speciality, particularly in the woven intrecciato leather. In 2006, Bottega Veneta opened an artisan school in Italy to train a new generation of craftsmen in the precise art of hand making the products.