Weaving a lot to be desired
Last Updated:
12:01am BST /09/2003
"This," says Tomas Maier, the creative director of Bottega Veneta, brandishing a big, chocolate leather bag, "is like a pair of sunglasses, a sports car or a dishwasher. It's engineered, functional, aesthetically pleasing, beautiful inside and out - and it works.
"It's my favourite bag, my dream bag, my old friend. It goes everywhere with me," he enthuses. "It's a pity it can't earn air miles, because it has flown many thousands in the past two years."
In June 2001, Maier joined the Italian luxury leather goods company, which is now part of the
Gucci Group, and presented his first collection for spring/summer 2002.
"I travel back and forth between America and Europe once or twice a month. I just put a few clothes, a book and toiletries in the bag, fold my down jacket on top and then push it into the overhead locker. I use it as a pillow, too. And the best thing is that the older it gets - the more beaten up and run-down - the better it looks, just like an old velvet couch."
The bag in question is the Cabat - which, appropriately, translates as "work sack". The large, rectangular tote looks as simple as a woven basket. And that, in essence, is its secret. It is handmade from 70 fettuccine-thin strips of leather, which are intricately woven through tiny slots. This creates a plaited effect, inside and out, which doubles the bag's strength.
The technique was invented by Bottega Veneta in the Sixties, when the company was established in Vicenza. Bottega means "a place of work for artisans" and Veneta refers to the Veneto region of eastern Italy, where they are based.
A bag such as the Cabat is, of course, both expensive (£2,495) and difficult to get hold of. The intensive labour that is involved in making each bag - two days' handiwork by two people - restricts production to a maximum of 200 of each style, each season, for worldwide distribution.
Tomas Maier (top) and work in processThe Cabat is an unusual designer bag in another respect. It bears no logos, no initials, no bold brass or silver buckles and is devoid of a house check or stripe. Apart from the distinctive plaits, there is nothing that identifies it as being made by Bottega Veneta. This may seem perverse in the pricey world of luxury goods, where it is easy to spot a Gucci, Chanel,
Prada or Fendi bag at a hundred paces, but the Cabat is a prime example of "stealth wealth".
"Our customers have a true understanding of quality," says Maier. "They don't need a big logo or a shiny buckle to tell the world what they can afford to buy."
Indeed, one of Bottega Veneta's credos translates as: "When your own initials are enough". This is a reference, perhaps, to their bespoke service, which includes handstitching, in leather, your initials inside the bag. As Maier explains, "We design for women who are very secure".
The Cabat is just one of a clutch of Bottega Veneta's handmade bags. Other designs are even more exclusive. Each season, only 50 Bandolero bags, which are each hand-stitched with more than 150 pheasant feathers and cost £1,370, are made. And production of the Rosalina, an evening bag made from 250 hand-stitched rosebuds and tassels, is restricted to 50 pieces, which perhaps justifies its price tag of £1,420.
It is the distinctive plaiting, called doppio intrecciato, that is most associated with the label, and has attracted such fans as Jennifer Lopez, Claudia Schiffer, Madonna and Kylie Minogue. This trademark is recalled all around the company's Milan showroom - in the decor and the clothes. The cushions are made of the same slipper-soft, interwoven leather. It is echoed in the elbow patches on a sweater, and in the subtle decoration on a pair of white moccasins.
"This is our heritage," says Maier. "It is very expensive to make, so we have to keep it special. It's not about weird design. It's about making something that is light, soft, beautiful and durable."
He remembers his mother's Bottega Veneta bags from the Seventies: "They were woven, kind of hippy and slouchy, but they worked and they are still around. You just can't kill them."
This thread is for people to share their cabat stories and how they care and store their cabats...I'm not sure how to store it as it's so soft and formless...do you keep it the box or just let it flop in its sleeper? Also should I take the protective film off the plate? I don't want to scratch it up but at the same time I don't want the glue to adhere to the plate...I know hermes suggests people to peel off the film on the birkins but I wonder if the same thing applies to the cabat? I haven't had the chance to debut my cabat yet but I'll sure to update when it happens 
I want a knot next as well. 
