Bottega Veneta names Barbara Zanin head of crafts and heritage

Bottega Veneta is putting the accent on its products’ craftsmanship. The Italian label owned by the Kering group, renowned for its leather products and its famous intrecciato weaving technique, has appointed Barbara Zanin, in charge of leather goods product development since 2001, to the newly created post of head of crafts and heritage.

For this new position, Bottega Veneta has picked a product expert who knows the business inside out, since Zanin has been with Bottega Veneta for over a quarter century. She joined in 1998 as a research assistant for leather goods, working at Bottega Veneta’s atelier in Montebello Vicentino, in Veneto, northern Italy.
 
In her new position, “Barbara Zanin will be working closely with Creative Director Matthieu Blazy and CEO Leo Rongone to preserve and promote Bottega Veneta’s artisanal crafts expertise. She will oversee all the artisans working at the Montebello atelier in Veneto, expanding the label’s archives, and playing the role of ambassador for Bottega Veneta’s exceptional leather craftsmanship,” said the label in a press release.

“Craftsmanship is the foundation of the Bottega Veneta ethos. It is what initially attracted me to this label, when I joined 23 years ago. Over the decades, I have seen for myself the success of this passion. It makes our products distinctive, it unites our community and it inspires endless evolution and creativity,” said Zanin, who created the Accademia Labor et Ingenium (work and ingenuity academy), the label’s vocational school, teaching the techniques and expertise its master artisans have developed since Bottega Veneta was founded in 1966.
 
By creating a role whose mission is fostering artisanal craftsmanship, Bottega Veneta seems to want to focus more than ever on leather accessories, a category at the heart of many luxury labels’ strategies, especially now that the luxury market is slowing down.