In Italian, ‘bottega’ is used to refer to a traditional shop whereby the items on sale are made in an attached workshop (its etymology comes from the Latin word for warehouse, ‘apotheca’, and can also be used to refer to artists’ studios). As such, it conjures in the mind a more bygone era, one of homespun tradition and local expertise, of winding Italian streets and buzzing cobblers, bookmakers and woodworkers.
It is this sense of culture and tradition that Bottega Veneta – no doubt the most well-known ‘bottega’ in the world – hopes to evoke with ‘Bottega for Bottegas’, a project that now takes place annually and sees the Italian fashion house draft local artisans, from both Italy and beyond, to create a series of special items which arrive just in time for the festive season. Think of it as a unique, ready-made gift list for even the fussiest of loved ones; last year, products came from a round-the-world odyssey, spanning Italy, Taiwan, China and South Korea.
