Newsfeed
When you think of Bottega Veneta, certain symbols immediately come to mind. That unmistakable green. The refined quiet of no logos. And, of course, Intrecciato, the iconic leather weaving technique that has come to define the house’s language of luxury. This year marks fifty years since a collective of artisans introduced Intrecciato to the world in 1975, and Bottega Veneta is marking the occasion with a bold, global campaign: Craft is Our Language.
Photographed by Jack Davison and choreographed by Lenio Kaklea, the campaign is a visual and emotional tribute to craftsmanship, not only as a practice but as a universal form of communication. At its core is the hand: the original tool of both craft and connection. The stills and films highlight hand gestures inspired by the Intrecciato technique, woven together with gestures from across cultures, generations, and disciplines.
The campaign features a diverse cast that spans art, film, fashion, music, literature, and sport. Alongside Bottega Veneta artisans, it includes singer-songwriter Jack Antonoff, director Dario Argento, designer Edward Buchanan, sculptor Barbara Chase-Riboud, singer Neneh Cherry, filmmaker Dave Free, actors Lauren Hutton, Vicky Krieps, Troy Kotsur, Terrance Lau, Rie Miyazawa, Julianne Moore, tennis player Lorenzo Musetti, singer-actress Thanaerng, artist I.N, writer Zadie Smith, musician Tyler Okonma, and conductor Lorenzo Viotti.
The campaign also revisits key figures in Bottega Veneta’s own story. Edward Buchanan, who served as Design Director from 1995 to 2000, introduced the house’s first-ever Ready-to-Wear collection. And Lauren Hutton, whose Intrecciato clutch in the 1980 film American Gigolo catapulted the weave into the cultural mainstream, returns as a face of the campaign, reaffirming how timeless craft becomes iconography.
More than a visual celebration, Craft is Our Language invites us into a dialogue. In the campaign’s short films, Bottega Veneta artisans interact with featured talents such as Barbara Chase-Riboud, Lauren Hutton, Thanaerng, and Terrance Lau. Together, they explore the shared language of gesture, how hands move, create, and connect beyond words or borders. While Western thought often separates artist and artisan, the campaign reclaims their shared origin: ars, the Latin root meaning “art, skill, craft.”
The campaign also pays tribute to Italian design heritage, referencing the work of Milanese artist Bruno Munari and his 1963 book Supplemento al Dizionario Italiano, a classic on the power of hand gestures. Just as Munari documented the silent fluency of Italian expression, Craft is Our Language speaks to an international vernacular of creativity and craftsmanship.
