Craft Is Our Language: Bottega Veneta and the Quiet Power of Making

Bottega Veneta Craft is Our Language / Director and Photographer: Jack Davison

This year, Bottega Veneta celebrates fifty years of its iconic Intrecciato leather weave with the new campaign, Craft is Our Language — a visual and choreographic homage to craft, gestures, and the universal language of hands.

Photographed and directed by Jack Davison, with choreography by Lenio Kaklea, the campaign brings together the artistry of Bottega Veneta’s artisans with the creativity of outstanding figures from the worlds of art, music, literature, fashion, film, and sport.

Bottega Veneta Craft is Our Language / Director and Photographer: Jack Davison

Intrecciato: a Language Woven by Hand

First introduced in 1975, Intrecciato became a defining symbol of Bottega Veneta’s craft — a synthesis of artisanal skill and aesthetic imagination. Created entirely by hand, this weave is passed down from one generation of artisans to the next, the essence of the house’s savoir-faire.

Intrecciato is not just a technique, but also a symbol of interconnectedness, dialogue, and exchange. In Craft is Our Language, this idea evolves further: the gestures that create Intrecciato are intertwined with universal hand gestures that connect people across time, cultures, and contexts.

Bottega Veneta Craft is Our Language / Director and Photographer: Jack Davison

Gestures as a Universal Language

The campaign explores the language of hands: how gestures express who we are, and carry the stories of our cultures and histories. The stills and film feature Bottega Veneta artisans alongside celebrated artists, each expressing themselves through movement, creativity, and skill.

Bottega Veneta Craft is Our Language / Director and Photographer: Jack Davison

Among the campaign’s protagonists are singer and producer Jack Antonoff, director Dario Argento, designer Edward Buchanan, artist and sculptor Barbara Chase-Riboud, singer Neneh Cherry, filmmaker 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, actress and singer Thanaerng, producer Tyler Okonma, and conductor Lorenzo Viotti.

Each of them embodies the dialogue between maker and wearer, artist and artisan, hand and mind. At Bottega Veneta, they believe that every artist is an artisan and every artisan an artist. The campaign emphasizes the shared etymological root of both words, derived from the Latin ars, meaning “art, skill, craft.”

From Milan to the World

Staying true to its Italian roots, the campaign also pays homage to Milanese artist and designer Bruno Munari and his playful 1963 book Supplement to the Italian Dictionary (Supplemento al Dizionario Italiano), dedicated to Italian hand gestures as a unique form of communication.

Bottega Veneta Craft is Our Language / Director and Photographer: Jack Davison

Craft is Our Language is not just an ode to craft, but a reminder that true luxury is always made by hand. In the weaving of leather, the universality of gestures, and the meeting of maker and wearer, a language emerges — one that everyone understands.

You can discover the full campaign on the official Bottega Veneta website.

Bottega Veneta Craft is Our Language / Director and Photographer: Jack Davison

The team behind the scenes

Casting: Julia Lange

Hair: Sigi Kumpfmüller

Makeup: Hiromi Ueda

Set Designers: Staci-Lee Hindley & Julia Wagner

Director and Photographer: Jack Davison

Art Director: Paul Olivennes

Choreographer: Lenio Kaklea

Directors of Photography: James Beattie & Peter Hou

Stylist: Robbie Spencer

Production: Untitled Project