5 Bottega Veneta It Bags Star in the “Il Mio” Portrait Series

There’s quiet luxury, and there’s logomania. Then, there are Bottega Veneta bags, which neither whisper nor shout. They don’t need to: the impeccable craftspersonship, instantly recognisable woven leather and sculptural silhouettes speak for themselves. So it’s no wonder that the 60-year-old Italian house’s Intrecciato handbags, old and new, are high on every Who What Wear UK editor’s wish list. This summer, five of them are captured in a striking portrait series which highlights new-gen Bottega Veneta icons (the Mini Andiamo and Madison flap bag), an older silhouette in the Lauren 1980, and gives us a sneak preview of the Baby Barbara and Baby Campana totes that are due to drop soon.

Bottega’s first female creative director, Louise Trotter, understands the importance of imbuing clothing with meaning, and has wasted no time delving into the prestigious house codes. She’s freshened things up with a few contemporary touches here and there, like shrinking the Barbara and Campana totes to playful “baby” proportions, pulling details from the archive and adding a mouldable flap to the Madison. All of these standout features—alongside that beautiful, unmistakable woven leather—keep Bottega Veneta in a logo-less league of its own.

The new portrait series is thoughtfully named “Il Mio”, an Italian expression that translates to “What belongs to me.” This intimate campaign explores the relationship between a treasured object and the person who chooses it. Drew Vickers captures models Chu Wong, Selena Forrest and Sihana Shalaj in a series of posed and candid shots, wearing outfits from casual to corporate and evening that showcase just how versatile these handbags are.