Bottega Veneta | When Your Own Initials are Enough

The founders of the fashion house, who in the future will conquer fashionistas from all over the world, Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro, founded Bottega Veneta in 1966 in Vicenza, Italy. Bottega Veneta’s roots tie it to a non-branded philosophy that gave its items a rarefied pith. A distinctive feature and its calling card, the “intrecciato” weaving, calls for an understated elegance of exceptional craftsmanship. Bottega Veneta focused on discreet luxury and timeless design rather than the company logo. By 1980, the brand had become an established darling of the international community. But the brand's modern history began only in 2001 when Bottega Veneta was acquired by the Gucci Group holding (later Kering), which helped propel Bottega Veneta into the global luxury market. The designer Thomas Maier was invited to the post of creative director, who's worked for fashion houses such as Sonia Rykiel and Hermès. Maier played the most crucial role in the development of Bottega Veneta: he returned the brand to its roots and brought public attention to its heritage and became Kering's second-largest source of income behind Saint Laurent. In 2018, Daniel Lee was appointed as the new creative director of Bottega Veneta, who's worked with Phoebe Philo at Céline and spent time at Maison Margiela and Balenciaga. The appointment gave new impetus to the Italian luxury fashion house, as the British designer had relaunched the men's ready-to-wear collection and harboured a team of artisans. He kept Bottega Veneta's focus on well-crafted, logoless and simplicity-driven products. In order to give a new look to Bottega Veneta, Lee raised the Intrecciato designs to capitalize on the brand's most iconic features and infused more hedonism and desirability in the brand's products.  The designer designed the Pouch clutch bag, which became the best-selling bag in the brand's history. His transformation of Bottega Veneta was named New Bottega.