Bottega Veneta (Venetian Shop) was established in 1966 in Vicenza, Italy by Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro. Crafting artisanal leather goods, the brand developed a distinctive leather weaving design, the “Intrecciato” (intertwined in Italian), which instantly became Bottega Veneta’s iconic look. The brand’s logo only appeared discreetly on the inside of its products.
This basket-weaving technique was really just a workaround to a technical problem: At the start, the leather-goods company didn’t have sewing machines capable of accommodating thicker swathes of leather, so thin leather was used—but in order to make Bottega bags more durable, the leather was woven at the diagonal.
THE VENETIAN SHOP EXPANDS
In 2001, the company was bought by the Gucci group. In 2006, with the help of its then Creative Director, Tomas MaierTomas Maier (born 1957) is a German born designer trained at the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris. His early professional experience includes designing for several international luxury good Houses such as Guy Laroche, Sonia Rykiel and Hermès. Maier was appointed creative director of Bottega Veneta in 2001, a position he held up to 2018. During his time, he oversaw the company’s extension, adding new flagship stores in London, Paris, Milan and New York. , Bottega Veneta opened “La Scuola dei Maestri Pellettieri di Bottega Veneta” (school of leather craftsmanship). The school also maintains a well-established collaboration with the University Iuav of Venice.
In January 2021, Bottega Veneta created a buzz in the luxury industry by unexpectedly shutting down all of its social media accounts (its Instagram account had 2.5 million followers) The move was followed by the creation of a digital journal, Issued by Bottega, relying on its clients, influencers, collaborators, and fans to spread the news.
Bottega Veneta currently operates 268 stores for 3,754 employees.
In 2014, Maier and Bottega Veneta partnered with the Japanese publication Casa BRUTUS and launched an initiative to raise awareness of the potential destruction of numerous significant Modernist buildings in Japan due to economics, politics and the preparation for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
THE PUMP SHOE
Referring to shoes as “pumps” dates back to the 1500s, when men and servants wore shoes without heels known as “pompes”, a French word. From there, the pompes evolved from the plain, flat shoes worn by men to embellished, heeled shoes worn by women. Pumps are usually closed-toe or peep-toe with a heel of approximately 2,5 cm or less. This closed toe Bottega Veneta pump shoe combines black and beige straw and stands on a short heel.