When Tomas Maier was appointed the creative director of Bottega Veneta in 2001, he was adamant to create products which were not only sellable but also open for individual interpretation. That year, the Italian brand proudly revealed the iconic intrecciato craftsmanship needed to fashion one of its most coveted bags, namely the Cabat.
Don’t be deceived though – there is more to the seemingly straightforward construction on the bag than meets the eye. Demanding masterly dexterity, thin strips of double-faced leather, called “fettucce”, are woven by hand in its entirety, making the bag identically handsome from within as it is from the outside.
This Spring/Summer 2019 season, with a new creative director onboard, the bag gets a facelift. Bottega Veneta has reinvented the workmanship with four-centimeter wide strip to construct the Maxi Cabat, which represents one of the first two designs by Daniel Lee. What is required to craft the bag? 20 nappa leather strips and approximately two full working days.
Ultra-functional and gender fluid, the Maxi Cabat comes in three styles: a large fully woven tote and a large woven tote completed with a band of smooth, supple leather at the top. There is also a smaller woven version with a detachable shoulder strap called the Maxi Cabat 30 (after the measurement of its length). All the styles are available in contrasting colours and in solid shades.
To round up the Maxi Cabat family, there is a version in Nero Soft Crocodile and a smooth Matte Calf model, which can be found in Espresso, Camel and Nero.
