History of a Classic: The Bottega Veneta Cabat

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One of Bottega Veneta‘s most iconic handbags, The Cabat was first designed by Creative Director Tomas Maier when he first joined the House in 2001. The supple and collapsible rectangular intrecciato (that’s Bottega speak for woven) tote made its debut in the Spring/Summer 2002 collection.

The Cabat is completely unlined, woven by hand from strips of double-faced leather, and the finished product is completely seamless. What this means is the inside of the bag is just as beautiful as it is on the outside. Yup, you also wouldn’t be able to find a single thread or joint that holds the bag together. Yet, despite this, the tote is able to stand upright on its own. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing from the get-go either. It actually took several weeks and 10 to 15 prototypes to get the double-faced intrecciato right. Utilising a total of approximately 100 leather strips, each of these totes take the Bottega artisans two entire days to complete.

After its introduction, The Cabat was available in 3 sizes – small, medium, and large – but the small size has was later discontinued in 2011. Currently, the House only produces the large and medium sizes. I know that these babies really don’t come cheap, but then again, with the meticulous craftsmanship involved, what you’re really buying, is a work of art. Besides, this tote is produced in very limited quantities each year. Each Cabat also comes with what the Bottega calls a “number plate”, with “Limited Edition” as well as the item number out of the total number of units available, engraved onto the plate attached to the removable pouch that each bag comes with.

There have since been many different versions with a combination of leathers and materials used for each season: embellished, studded, knotted, appliqué, multicolour intrecciato, exotic leather, the list goes on… Now, here are some of my favourite versions of The Cabat, from past, and current collections.