A simple pannier made of braided leather. A sober and measured silhouette making for a lyrical and prestigious breakaway. This is the concept of elegance according to Tomas Maeir, creative director for Bottega Veneta since 2001. “It’s invisible, impalpable, difficult to define”, he explains. “It is or it isn’t. It’s like charm”. Inspired by artist John Chamberlain, Tomas Maier enjoys transforming cheap materials into noble ones, prosaic objects into masterpieces of desire and luxury. The perfection of purity is his philosophy, offering an ultra-chic minimalism. This emblematic refinement was initiated in 1966 by Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro in their “Venetian atelier”. Their discreet aesthetic was already engaged, their famous technique of leather braiding, Intrecciato, already instituted. It would go on to become the brand’s signature flourish.
It’s no surprise then that the tote bag, with its relatively simple curves, has established itself as Bottega Veneta’s iconic bag. A perfect medium for the work of art, it is the pinnacle of Intrecciato. The fine strips of hide are braided by hand, like a true leather inlay. Needing two days of work, the tote bag is produced by one lone worker: the braiding is thus identical throughout the entire product, singular and unique. The height of chic, these leatherwork gems don’t sport any logos. The intertwined ropes, quality leather, and exceptional design alone cement their prestige. Elegance is worn, not shown off: “When your initials suffice” as goes Bottega Veneta’s maxim. This philosophy of “private luxury” has been commented on by Tomas Maier himself: “chic is a very personal thing, a form of rebellion vis-à-vis the garment or the accessory. You have to be able to wear [the most beautiful of bags] with the same indifference as if it were a banal confection”.
For this summer, the tote bag is going black. This “non-color” presents itself as a backdrop, the very foil and counterpoint to the collection. Like a little Bohemian fantasy, a myriad of marvelous butterflies delicately alight on the braiding. Powdered with ivories, peaches, blues, yellows, and reds, these lepidopterous creatures are the symbol of Bottega Veneta. They reflect the brand’s gracious pulse, somewhere between innovation, modernity, quality, and tradition. A union between elegant simplicity and the flight of leather butterflies, the tote bag is a resolutely enchanting poem, fabulous and sublime.
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