Bottega Veneta was founded in 1966 by entrepreneurs Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro. Based in Vicenza, in Italy's northeastern Veneto region, the name Bottega Veneta means ‘Venetian Shop.’ So, if you’ve been wondering why I’m pronouncing Bottega Veneta the way that I do, then here you have your answer! Many probably pronounce it a little differently, like: Bottega Veneta, but for this video, we’ve decided to stick to the original Italian pronunciation.

From the beginning, Bottega’s primary product was leather goods. And today, their basket-weave technique is world-famous. So, it might come as a surprise to hear that this was actually just a workaround to a technical problem!

When Bottega first started out, its sewing machines couldn’t work with most leathers. The machines were sourced from the local Veneto region, and this region was famous for ready-to-wear clothing. Because of this, the needles were not long enough to handle the thicker leather typically used for handbags and accessories.

This seemingly put Bottega at a disadvantage as they were not able to fuse more robust leathers. But while the obvious solution may have been to get other sewing machines, the innovative Michele and Renzo had something else in mind. From then on, they only worked with delicate, thin leather. The bags still had to be durable, though, and so, they cut the leather into strips and weaved them together diagonally. This made the final product much sturdier, and the now famous Intrecciato Weave was born.

Intrecciato is Italian for ‘intertwined’ or ‘braided’. And the woven pattern has since become a signature of the Bottega Veneta house. People loved it! And Bottega managed to create a unique look without needing to advertise its logo all over its products. It didn’t take long for the label to go global. But some big changes were on their way…

Sources:

Giles Deacon
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/pe...

Tomas Maier
https://www.vogue.com/article/tomas-m...

Daniel Lee
https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/danie...
https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-...

Matthieu Blazy
https://www.vogue.com/article/matthie...
https://www.lofficielarabia.com/fashi...
https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/88...

Bottega Veneta
The History of Bottega Veneta
https://www.vogue.com/article/bottega...
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion...
https://wwd.com/fashion-news/designer...
https://www.luxuriousmagazine.com/ong...
https://www.rebag.com/thevault/botteg...
https://thevintagebar.com/the-archive...