50 Years On, Bottega Veneta’s IYKYK Accessories Remain The Ultimate Status Symbol

While the distinguishing marks of most luxury houses are the insignia stamped on their flagship products – whether monogrammed canvases or symbol-shaped clasps – that’s never quite been the case for Bottega Veneta . The instant recognisability of the Veneto-born, Milan-based maison’s über-luxe leather goods is due to a proprietary technique: the Intrecciato weave.

Woven by hand from long, thin straps of buttery leather by Bottega Veneta ’s artisans, the supple tissage has become one of fashion’s most familiar – not to mention most sought-after – material textures in the half-century since its introduction. Understated yet unmistakable, its launch prompted the now iconic “When you’re own initials are enough” campaign (almost a good 50 years before “quiet luxury” was the eyeroll-ind