In a world where fashion often chases the ephemeral, Bottega Veneta’s latest campaign, Craft is Our Language, stands as a powerful meditation on the enduring value of craft. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the house’s iconic Intrecciato weave, the campaign is neither a mere retrospective nor a simple marketing exercise—it is a sweeping, cross-disciplinary statement about what it means to create, to communicate, and to connect across boundaries of language, culture, and time.
With a cast that reads like a who’s-who of global creative excellence—think Zadie Smith, Tyler, the Creator, Julianne Moore, and Dario Argento—Bottega Veneta’s campaign doesn’t just mark a milestone. It reaffirms the brand’s position at the intersection of heritage and innovation, inviting us to reconsider the language of luxury itself.
The Intrecciato Legacy: Weaving Together Five Decades of Craft
Since its introduction in 1975, the Intrecciato technique has defined Bottega Veneta’s aesthetic vocabulary. The distinctive leather weaving, born from the practical limitations of early sewing machines and thin leather, has evolved into a symbol of understated opulence. Yet, in Craft is Our Language, Intrecciato is elevated beyond iconography—it becomes a metaphor for the tactile, the interconnected, and the timeless.
The campaign’s launch is not just an anniversary. It’s a moment of cultural reckoning. In an era dominated by digital communication and fleeting trends, Bottega Veneta proposes that true luxury is found in the slow, deliberate work of hands. This is not nostalgia; it is an argument for the future relevance of craft as both technique and philosophy.
An Interdisciplinary Tapestry: The Power of the Cast
What makes Craft is Our Language so compelling is its remarkable cast—a mosaic of talents spanning literature, film, music, art, sport, and fashion. Each figure brings a distinct narrative, yet all are united by their devotion to their craft.
- Zadie Smith – The celebrated novelist and essayist, whose words have shaped literary discourse, embodies the campaign’s ethos of storytelling through hands and gestures.
- Tyler, the Creator – Musician, producer, and style icon, whose genre-defying art mirrors Bottega Veneta’s own boundary-pushing sensibility.
- Julianne Moore – Acclaimed actress, synonymous with emotional depth and transformative performances.
- Dario Argento – Master of Italian cinema, whose visionary direction redefined horror and suspense.
- Barbara Chase-Riboud – Artist and sculptor, lauded for her monumental works fusing history and materiality.
- Jack Antonoff – Grammy-winning pop producer shaping the sound of a generation.
- Lorenzo Musetti – Rising tennis star, representing the discipline and artistry of athleticism.
- Others, including Lauren Hutton, Shu Qi, Troy Kotsur, I.N of Stray Kids, and Vicky Krieps, each add their unique resonance to the campaign’s polyphonic narrative.
By assembling such a diverse ensemble, Bottega Veneta makes a bold statement: that craft—whether in words, music, movement, or material—is a universal language. The campaign’s participants do not merely wear Intrecciato; they embody the generative power of creative labor.
Visual Poetry: The Language of Hands and Gestures
The campaign’s aesthetic direction, led by photographer Jack Davison and choreographer Lenio Kaklea, is nothing short of arresting. Gone are the grandiose backdrops and overproduced tableaux; in their place, a studied focus on hands and gestures. These close-ups are more than artistic flourishes—they are the campaign’s visual thesis.
In the world of Craft is Our Language, hands become both subject and symbol. They are the agents of skill, the repositories of generational knowledge, and—most crucially—the vehicles of communication. As Davison’s lens lingers on the intricate movements of weaving, holding, and shaping, the viewer is invited to contemplate how meaning is transmitted not only through words, but through touch, repetition, and shared tradition.
Kaklea’s choreography, meanwhile, transforms gestures into dialogue, blurring the boundaries between dance, craft, and daily ritual. The result is a campaign that speaks across languages precisely by eschewing them, privileging the eloquence of the handmade.
Fashion as Communication: Wearing the Intrecciato Narrative
Each talent in the campaign is styled in Bottega Veneta’s signature pieces—Intrecciato bags, gloves, and outerwear—yet the focus is less on the objects themselves and more on the interplay between the wearer and the craft. In stills and short films, the accessories are not status symbols, but extensions of the self: vessels of personal and cultural memory.
This approach subtly subverts the conventions of luxury advertising. Rather than peddling aspiration, Bottega Veneta invites reflection. The products are not simply displayed; they are activated in motion, in touch, in the quiet choreography of daily life. It is a fashion campaign that asks not “What do you wear?” but “What do you make—and how does it make you?”
Transcending Time and Trend: The Enduring Value of Artisan Knowledge
At its core, Craft is Our Language is about the transmission of knowledge. The Intrecciato weave is not a static motif, but a living practice—one that is honed, shared, and passed down through generations. For Bottega Veneta, this is more than a matter of corporate heritage; it is a statement about the value of continuity in a world obsessed with novelty.
By foregrounding the hands that make, the campaign gestures toward a broader truth: that meaning is constructed not only in the finished object, but in the process—the hours, the gestures, the silent conversations between artisan and material. In an age of mass production and digital detachment, this commitment to the handmade feels radical, even urgent.
Looking Forward: Books, Campaigns, and the Future of Luxury
Bottega Veneta’s commitment to craft does not end with this campaign. In September, the house will release a book inspired by Craft is Our Language, further exploring the themes of artistry, communication, and interconnectedness. A follow-up campaign is also on the horizon, promising to extend the conversation and deepen the brand’s engagement with its heritage.
This multi-pronged approach signals a new model for luxury storytelling—one that privileges depth over spectacle, and dialogue over monologue. By engaging not only with artisans, but with leading voices from across creative disciplines, Bottega Veneta positions itself as a custodian of cultural memory and a catalyst for contemporary conversation.
Conclusion: Why “Craft is Our Language” Resonates Now
As the fashion industry grapples with questions of sustainability, authenticity, and relevance, Bottega Veneta’s Craft is Our Language campaign emerges as both a celebration and a challenge. It celebrates five decades of Intrecciato, yes—but more than that, it challenges us to reconsider what we value in the things we make and the stories we tell.
With voices like Zadie Smith and Tyler, the Creator amplifying its message, the campaign reminds us that craftsmanship is not mere ornament. It is a way of communicating, of connecting, of belonging. In this sense, craft truly is a language—one that speaks, across disciplines and generations, of our shared human longing to make meaning with our hands.
As Bottega Veneta looks to the next fifty years, Craft is Our Language is both a manifesto and a promise: that in the careful intertwining of past and present, tradition and innovation, we may yet find new ways to speak to—and with—one another.
