Bottega Veneta means ‘Venetian Shop’ and was founded by Michele Taddei in Venice in 1966. Its motto is “When your own initials are enough.” The company has a reputation for producing luxury goods which employ a mix of fine craftsmanship using the highest quality materials. In 2001, Bottega Veneta was purchased by Gucci Group and is now part of the French multinational group Kering. In the same year the firm hired current creative director Tomas Maier, who was previously a ready-to wear-designer at Hermés.

This bag employs a distinctive leather weave design known as intrecciato which is used on the exterior of many Bottega Veneta products. This design became widely associated as a signifier of the Bottega Veneta brand which otherwise employs no other branding on the outside of its products. This bag is an example of ‘stealth fashion’, understood as luxury goods that do not carry overt branding on their products and rely more on the quality of the product and subtle signifiers. To recognise these luxury products, an individual is required to be knowledgeable about current fashion trends.

This handbag was acquired as part of the Shekou Project, an international partnership between the V&A and China Merchant Shekou Holdings (CMSK) to open a new cultural platform called Design Society in Shekou. The handbag was included in the inaugural exhibition, ‘Values of Design’, in the V&A Gallery at Design Society in a section exploring identity and branding as a value in design.