Arco Tote
The Intrecciato weave enlarged to architecture — a tote built from a handful of giant leather squares.
Story & heritage
The Arco debuted in Daniel Lee's first official collection for Bottega Veneta — Pre-Fall 2019. It took the house's Intrecciato weave and pushed it to its most graphic extreme yet: instead of fine strips, the Arco is built from a small number of oversized leather squares, the Maxi Intreccio, woven into a clean, architectural tote.
Functional and bold in equal measure, the Arco became one of the structural pillars of Lee's reinvention of the house — a tote that wore its craft as pure geometry. Offered as a Mini, Small and full Arco, with rolled top handles and an optional shoulder strap, it remains shorthand for the moment Bottega's weave became a statement rather than a whisper.
Materials & craft
The Arco is woven in the Maxi Intreccio — the Intrecciato technique scaled up so each leather panel is a broad square, threaded over and under its neighbours by hand. It is cut from smooth nappa calfskin, with slim rolled leather top handles and, on some versions, a contrasting suede interior. The open-top tote has minimal hardware; the weave itself does the structural and decorative work.
How to choose & style
The Small Arco is the everyday tote — roomy enough for a working day, graphic enough to read as a statement. Black and tan are the most versatile; the brighter colours (butter yellow, forest, navy) lean into the bag's bold geometry. The Mini is a dressier, hand-held read. The oversized weave is the whole point, so pair it with clean, unfussy clothes and let the leather panels do the talking.
