In 1975, deep in the Veneto region of Italy, a design revolution began quietly—with strips of leather woven not for function, but as an artistic declaration. This was Intrecciato: the now-iconic weave that would come to define Bottega Veneta. Fast forward fifty years, and Intrecciato’s elegant criss-crossing leather is not just a symbol of Italian craftsmanship—it is Bottega’s very language.
In 2025, the house commemorates the golden anniversary of its signature design with a campaign as poetic as the weave itself: Craft is our Language. Far more than a celebration of aesthetic, the project delves into the universal language of the hand—gesture—as a medium through which art, emotion, and culture are conveyed. At its heart, it’s a tribute to the artisan, and to the silent dialogue between maker and wearer that defines true luxury.
Featuring a luminous cast of visionaries across disciplines—film, music, design, sport, and literature—Craft is our Language includes still portraits and intimate film segments that celebrate not only the finished work but the moments of creation behind it. Among them are music producers Jack Antonoff and , actress Julianne Moore, conductor Lorenzo Viotti, designer Edward Buchanan, and author Zadie Smith. Each contributor brings their unique vocabulary of hands to the frame—composing, conducting, shaping, and styling—mirroring the artisans who breathe life into Bottega Veneta’s creations.
Edward Buchanan, former Bottega Design Director, recalls the brand’s early pivot into ready-to-wear, while actress and style icon Lauren Hutton reflects on the moment she held an Intrecciato clutch in the 1980 film American Gigolo—an understated gesture that helped catapult the weave into cultural prominence. Their voices remind us that craft is not static. It evolves, speaks, and leaves imprints on history.
The campaign, rooted deeply in Italian identity, draws inspiration from Bruno Munari’s Supplemento al Dizionario Italiano—an illustrated exploration of Italian hand gestures. Much like Munari, Bottega seeks to canonize communication through motion. In September 2025, the house will release a book companion to the campaign—a tactile “dictionary” of fifty gestures that embody the values of craftsmanship, community, and quiet excellence. A second wave of visuals and short films will accompany the launch, further expanding the visual lexicon.
At a time when technology races ahead and mass production threatens the handmade, Craft is our Language offers a pause. It reminds us that true craftsmanship resides not in machines or marketing but in the hands of real people—those who stitch, mold, and breathe soul into every piece. Bottega Veneta does not simply make fashion. It makes meaning—woven, always, by hand
