Italian Excellence at Bottega Veneta

Tomas Maier and the eco-friendly Bottega Veneta atelier in the heart of the Veneto countryside

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To celebrate its golden anniversary and Tomas Maier's 15-year tenure as creative director, Italian luxury brand Bottega Veneta presented its SS17 Milan Fashion Week show at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, one of the country's pre-eminent art colleges, housed in a 17th-century palazzo. As the models passed through the same sculpture-lined hallways that have welcomed some of Italy's most celebrated artists – from Piero Fornasetti, who was expelled for disobedience, to Lucio Fontana, the founder of Spatialism, famed for his mid-20th century slashed paintings – the sense of heritage and savoir faire was palpable. The collection's accessories evinced another kind of artistry, nurtured by the brand since 1966 and today explored at its modern atelier in Montebello Vicentino, a town in the northern province of Vicenza.

"One of the most significant events in the past 15 years for me was the first time I met the artisans, shortly before I joined the company," recalls Maier. "I wanted to create a place that would be the perfect house for our master artisans." True to his word, in 2013 Maier relocated the atelier to the 18th-century Villa Schroeder-Da Porto after lengthy renovation. The listed heritage site is surrounded by 55,000 square metres of verdant parkland; its Vicenza stone pillared façade looks out onto acres of untouched flat terrain, save for the odd barn and greenhouse that punctuate the landscape. Adding romance to the view are rolling hills and the two Montecchio Maggiore castles in the distance, claimed to be the inspiration for the story of Romeo and Juliet.

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