Leathergoods brand Bottega Veneta has appointed Barbara Zanin as the director of Craft and Heritage, a new role aimed at strengthening the brand’s focus on artisanal craftsmanship, WWD reported. By Leatherbiz.

Zanin, who joined the company in 1998, will oversee artisans at the Montebello atelier in Italy, preserve and promote craft traditions, and expand the brand’s archives.

Zanin, previously head of leathergoods product development, also co-founded Bottega Veneta’s artisanal training school, Accademia Labor et Ingenium.

Since 2021, creative director Matthieu Blazy has emphasised the brand’s craftsmanship, notably in the spring 2024 collection, where artisans used leather strips treated to resemble banana leaves.