A history of Bottega Veneta bags
The visual language of the best Bottega Veneta handbags – and of the label as a whole – is mainly shaped by what goes unsaid. That is, there’s a less-is-more approach, and you won’t find a brand logo on a single item. Instead, you’ll see an identifiable signature, the intrecciato woven leather treatment, which, since we’re on the subject of languages, translates to intertwined in Italian. Furthermore, Bottega Veneta means Venetian shop, which brings us right to the beginning…
The best Bottega bags to shop now
Bottega Veneta was founded in 1966 in Vicenza, Italy, by Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro. The basket-weave technique so famous today 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. It didn’t take long for the label to go global. By the 1970s, a Bottega Veneta shop had opened up in Manhattan, luring the likes of Andy Warhol, who, in a lesser-known photo, can be seen kissing a Bottega loafer. (In 1985, the Pop artist would also make a short film for the Italian label.) It was also embraced in popular culture: Lauren Hutton memorably carried a brown Bottega clutch in 1980’s American Gigolo – a moment that the label paid homage to in 2018 by reviving the bag and bringing Hutton out onto the runway.
Around that time, “When your own initials are enough” became Bottega Veneta’s slogan, hinting at the luxury brand’s “if you know”, you know ethos. (This was not a place for monogram canvas fabrications and logomania.) And because it wouldn’t be an Italian heritage label if there weren’t a bit of family drama: In the 1970s, co-founder Zengiaro gave the company to his ex-wife, Laura Braggion, who took the reins alongside her second husband, Vittorio Moltedo. All this went on until 2001, when the Gucci Group (now a subsidiary of Kering) bought up the company and appointed German designer Tomas Maier as creative director. In 2005 came the label’s first ready-to-wear collection, with fragrances, jewellery, sunglasses, home decor, and more categories following soon after. But in lieu of a flamboyant, la dolce vita-style lifestyle brand, Bottega only whispered of luxury. (After a 2006 runway show, Vogue described Maier’s aesthetic as “stealth wealth.”) Maier revived the Knot Box clutch from 1978, introduced the Cabat tote bag, and played a significant hand in reaffirming Bottega’s dominance in the global fashion game after a quiet period in the ’90s.
In June 2018, Daniel Lee took over the creative directorship of Bottega Veneta and turned the label into one that churned out It bag after It-bag – all without the use of a single logo. Early in his tenure, Lee gave the world the Cassette and the Jodie bag, and the fashion set still hasn’t gotten over it. In the autumn of 2021, the Lee-era came to an end after it was announced he would exit his position. Matthieu Blazy, who had a long history of designing for prestigious labels and was at the time designing for Bottega, was promoted to creative director. In the short time Blazy has been at the helm, he’s made his mark. His debut autumn/winter collection was met with much fanfare and, as it relates to bags, his contributions of The Sardine and The Clicker have already reached the elusive It-bag status.
Read on for a history of the most recognisable and best Bottega Veneta handbags – and where to shop them, now.
The Andiamo
Along with all the supremely luxurious yet understated luxuries that walked the Bottega Veneta’s spring/summer 2023 show was a new bag. It was a somewhat structured but not boxy (its corners are rounded) calf leather intrecciato accessory that featured brass hardware sculpted into a bow-like knot. The effect is a not-your-grandmother’s ladylike handbag and it’s been dubbed the Andiamo. Italian for “let’s go,” Bottega is here to tell us that the Andiamo is for the wearer who is going places. Currently, the bag comes in three sizes and various earth tones of inky green, chalk white, and full-bodied reds. It’s the latest bag drop from Blazy’s Bottega and it’s only a matter of time before it lands on the arms of the chicest men and women you know. Comes in three sizes; starts at £2,960.
The Sardine
If there’s a Bottega bag that’s hot right now, it’s the Sardine. Curved like The Jodie bag but featuring a rod handle in the shape of a gilt, yes, sardine fish, the bag is crafted with a woven lambskin body. It first debuted on the Bottega Veneta autumn/winter 2022 runway which marked current creative director Matthieu Blazy’s debut. For the occasion, Blazy sent out a collection of handbags that would all go on to mark the new Bottega era and nearly all of them have already become an It-bag. By the autumn of 2022, the bag wound up around the arms of Kendall Jenner and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley; it doubles up as a jewel, according to the brand. And lest you forget, the fish is, after all, quite Italian – there’s no chicer summer island destination than Sardinia. Comes in one size; starts at £2,240.
The Clicker
Lovers of the Sardine can’t help but fall for the Clicker. Here, Blazy took the codes of the house – unabashedly understated luxury – and turned it into an accessory that epitomised it. Padded (but not puffy!) lambskin intreccio leather makes up the body of the bag, which is attached to a shoulder strap by elegantly curved brass metal links that recall Elsa Peretti’s supremely sexy nature-inspired jewels. The bag debuted alongside Bottega Veneta’s resort 2023 collection and pairs perfectly with the maison’s constantly selling out drop earrings. Comes in two sizes; small (£3,500) and medium (£3,760).
The Kalimero
If there’s one bag that aimed to set the tone of Bottega’s Blazy-era, it’s the Kalimero. In an oxblood hue, the bag opened Blazy’s debut Bottega collection and was paired with a simple tank, perfectly baggy jeans, and a pair of woven boots. The look walked the show and swept the room in a delicious breath of fresh air. Cylindrically shaped like a bucket bag, the purse is offered in three main iterations. A version with a loop (meant to be clutched or tossed on the shoulder), a bucket shape with a smaller strap, and a double version for those looking for a bit more storage. Fabrications also range from metallic foil-like silver and buttery calfskin with a slight gloss. Comes in mini (£4,390), small (£5,820) and large (£6,850).
The Jodie
When the Jodie bag was born, it had no name; it was only after a shot of Jodie Foster shielding herself from flashbulbs with a large black Bottega bag that Bottega changed that. The bag, which arrived in stores in early 2020, as part of Bottega’s resort 2020 collection, shared many characteristics with Bottega’s classic Hobo bag, only Lee put a knot into the handle to make it his own. The Jodie comes in many sizes – maxi, standard, mini – but is always crafted in an intrecciato leather (except when it’s sheathed in cushy shearling) and made in Italy. Colours range from fuchsia pink to a perfect chocolate colour – but there’s really no wrong choice. Comes in Candy (£1,170), mini (£1,970), Teen (£2,600), small (£2,870), medium (£3,050) and maxi (£4,785).
The Cassette
In Bottega Veneta’s pre-fall 2019 collection, a new bag was introduced. Called the Cassette after its rectangular shape, the crossbody featured an oversized weave, almost as though you were looking through a microscope at the maison’s classic intrecciato. A season later, at the autumn/winter 2019 collection, models took the runway toting chubby, puffed-up versions of the bag: enter, the Padded Cassette. The fashion world fell hard for that irresistible bag, which Lee eventually remixed with a hulking gold chain strap and, more recently, an assortment of candy-coloured leathers and suede fabrications. Comes in chain, camera bag, bucket bags iterations, in a variety of sizes.
The Pouch
Daniel Lee’s first contribution to Bottega Veneta’s handbag oeuvre was a remarkably successful one. The Pouch bag debuted at the label’s spring/summer 2020 collection, and its minimalist design featured a supple calfskin leather gently folded and gathered like a dumpling. An instant hit, the bag now comes in myriad styles: There’s the shoulder pouch with a curved top handle reminiscent of the Jodie (see above), there’s the chain pouch with a glitzy linked strap, the mini pouch which closes with a drawstring, and the intrecciato Pouch. With this bag comes one of those rare moments in fashion history when a wonderfully straightforward accessory ascended to It bag greatness. Comes in chain woven and unwoven iterations, in a variety of sizes.
The Cabat
This bag from the Maier era has maintained its allure ever since its debut in 2001. Named the Cabat, it was Maier’s first handbag for Bottega and it kept close to the codes of the house. The Cabat is a sumptuously simple squarish leather bag – woven leather and nothing else. There’s no lining, no zipper, no panels or seams, though there is a strip of leather at the base of the bag’s interior and a detachable pouchette for additional storage. It’s a shape and style that has been in embraced by both Lee and Blazy; and it’s unlikely it’s going anywhere anytime soon. Comes in micro and maxi woven iterations, in a variety of sizes.
