Bottega Veneta's new campaign celebrates craft and creativity

Time of India

2 days ago

Bottega Veneta
has launched '
Craft is our Language
', a new
campaign
marking the 50th anniversary of the house's leather weave,
Intrecciato
.
The campaign, photographed by
Jack Davison
and choreographed by
Lenio Kaklea
, celebrates Bottega Veneta
handcraft and creativity
, as well as the wider beauty of hand gestures as a universal language.
'Craft is our Language' considers Intrecciato not only as a way of making, but also as a metaphor. In the weaving together of leather strips, the house's signature craft is a symbol of interconnectedness, exchange, and the collaborative ethos that has been at the heart of the brand.
True to this spirit, 'Craft is our Language' captures hand gestures that represent Intrecciato alongside universal hand gestures that connect people across generations, cultures, backgrounds and contexts.
In still images and film, the campaign features Bottega Veneta artisans alongside outstanding practitioners across art, film, fashion, literature, music and sports.
These include singer-songwriter and record producer Jack Antonoff, director Dario Argento, designer Edward Buchanan, artist and sculptor Barbara Chase-Riboud, singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry, filmmaker and creative Dave Free, model and actress Lauren Hutton, singer I.N, actor Troy Kotsur, actress Vicky Krieps, actor Terrance Lau, actress Rie Miyazawa, actress Julianne Moore, tennis player Lorenzo Musetti, actress Shu Qi, writer Zadie Smith, singer-actress Thanaerng, recording artist and producer Tyler Okonma and conductor Lorenzo Viotti.
Presented in both individual and paired compositions, 'Craft is our Language' stages a dialogue between maker and wearer, artist and artisan, hand and mind.
In the campaign's short films, we see Bottega Veneta artisans conversing with Barbara Chase-Riboud, Lauren Hutton, Thanaerng, and Terrance Lau.
Exchanging across languages, they explore the commonality of gestures and the role of hands in communicating and creating across cultures and practices.
While Western discourse tends to distinguish between artist and artisan, 'Craft is our Language' honours the shared etymological root of both words, derived from the Latin ars, meaning 'art, skill, craft'.
Watch the video here: