Bottega Veneta Presents ‘Craft Is Our Language’

Bottega Veneta today launches ‘Craft is our Language’, a new campaign marking the 50th anniversary of the house’s iconic leather weave, Intrecciato. The campaign, photographed by Jack Davison and choreographed by Lenio Kaklea, celebrates Bottega Veneta handcraft and creativity, as well as the wider beauty of hand gestures as a universal  language. 

‘Craft is our Language’ considers Intrecciato not only as a way of making, but also as a metaphor. In the weaving together of leather strips, the house’s signature craft is a symbol of interconnectedness, exchange, and the collaborative ethos that has been at the heart of Bottega Veneta ever since it was founded by a collective of artisans in  1966. True to this spirit, ‘Craft is our Language’ captures hand gestures that represent  Intrecciato alongside universal hand gestures that connect people across generations,  cultures, backgrounds, and contexts. 

In still images and film, the campaign features Bottega Veneta artisans alongside outstanding practitioners across art, film, fashion, literature, music, and sports. These include singer-songwriter and record producer Jack Antonoff, director Dario Argento,  designer Edward Buchanan, artist and sculptor Barbara Chase-Riboud, singer-songwriter  Neneh Cherry, filmmaker and record producer Dave Free, actress Lauren Hutton, 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. 

As well as representing excellence in their craft, two individuals also speak to the history of Bottega Veneta and Intrecciato. Edward Buchanan was Design Director of the house from 1995 to 2000, introducing its first-ever Ready-to-Wear collection. Lauren Hutton,  meanwhile, carried an Intrecciato clutch in the 1980 film American Gigolo, propelling  Bottega Veneta and its signature weave into a new realm of cultural recognition.

Presented in both individual and paired compositions, ‘Craft is our Language’ stages a dialogue between maker and wearer, artist and artisan, hand and mind. In the campaign’s short films, we see Bottega Veneta artisans conversing with Barbara Chase Riboud, Lauren Hutton, Thanaerng, and Terrance Lau. Exchanging across languages, they explore the commonality of gestures and the role of hands in communicating and creating across cultures and practices. While Western discourse tends to distinguish between artist and artisan, ‘Craft is our Language’ honours the shared etymological root of both words, derived from the Latin ars, meaning “art, skill, craft”. 

First introduced in 1975, Intrecciato (pronounced in–treh–chah–toh) likewise combines deep artisanal knowledge with artistic imagination. As much as it is the hallmark of the house, Intrecciato is also a defining expression of Bottega Veneta’s founding principles of craft and creativity. Demanding hours, sometimes days, of artisanal patience and skill,  the practice involves hand-weaving slender leather strips, called fettucce, into a leather base panel or around a wooden mold. The method draws on a long Italian tradition of weaving and the leatherworking expertise of Bottega Veneta’s native Veneto region,  while being distinguished by an innovative diagonal arrangement, meticulous proportions,  and the exceptional quality of Bottega Veneta leather.

To this day, Intrecciato is always in motion, a fluid craft that evolves in Bottega Veneta ateliers, as much as it adapts to the wearer’s body as they move through the world.  Carefully transmitted from one generation of artisans to the next, Intrecciato never needs reinventing, but it can always be reimagined in shape, colour, size, structure, and attitude.  While Bottega Veneta has always maintained a no-logo philosophy, the house is differentiated and identified by the outstanding quality and infinite expressiveness of this signature craft. 

As it celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Intrecciato leather weave, ‘Craft is our  Language’ also reflects Bottega Veneta’s Italian roots and its ongoing celebration of  Italian creatives and thinkers. In concept and aesthetic, the campaign pays homage to  Milanese artist and designer Bruno Munari and his classic 1963 handbook of Italian gestures, Supplemento al Dizionario Italiano (Supplement to the Italian dictionary). Today published by Corraini, the book is an enduring tribute to expressions of the hands and body, many of which moved beyond their Neapolitan origins to become part of the wider  Italian – and international – vernacular.

‘Craft is our Language’ will also include a book, to be released in September alongside a second instalment of images and films, featuring an additional cast of talents. The book will represent the 50 gestures that constitute a “dictionary” of the language, the craft, and the values of Bottega Veneta.

CAMPAIGN CREDITS 

Photographer and Director: Jack Davison  
Art Director: Paul Olivennes  
Choreographer: Lenio Kaklea 
Directors of Photography: James Beattie, Peter Hou  
Stylist: Robbie Spencer 
Casting: Julia Lange  
Hair: Sigi Kumpfmüller  
Make-Up: Hiromi Ueda 
Set Designers: Staci-Lee Hindley, Julia Wagner  
Production: Untitled Project

In the Philippines, Bottega Veneta is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc., and is located at Greenbelt 4 and Shangri-La Plaza Mall East Wing. Visit ssilife.com.ph or follow @ssilifeph on Instagram for more information. 

About SSI Group, Inc.:

The SSI Group is the Philippines’ largest specialty retailer, with an established brand portfolio that includes some of the world’s most recognized international brands. We lead the country’s specialty retail market through the size and breadth of our brand portfolio and store network, with 94 brands and 593 stores. With our growing e-commerce presence, we are also the Philippine specialty retailer with the most diverse and extensive e-commerce offering. Our unique brand portfolio covers a wide range of specialty and lifestyle concepts, spanning the luxury, casual, and fast fashion, beauty, footwear, home, and restaurant categories.  Established in the 1980s, SSI has been at the forefront of the Philippine retail industry for more than 30 years. Throughout this time, we have sought to inspire and enhance the lifestyle values of our customers and to cater to the evolving tastes and aspirations of Filipino consumers. In response to the evolution of the retail industry, the company introduced "The Specialist," an At Home concierge service dedicated to serving its valued customers with their shopping needs. Customers may get in touch with SSI’s Customer Service team through any of the following channels to inquire about a particular brand or product:

SSI GROUP CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM

Email: customerservice@ssigroup.com.ph
Telephone Number: 8-830-5000
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