Story & heritage

The Cabat was the first bag Tomas Maier designed for Bottega Veneta after his 2001 arrival — a piece conceived as a celebration of the house's signature Intrecciato weave above all else. Built as an unlined, double-sided woven shopper, the Cabat is the same on the inside as the outside: there is no lining and no logo, only the weave, which made it a quiet emblem of the stealth wealth idea that defined Maier's era.

Because each Cabat is among the most labour-intensive bags the house makes — woven entirely by hand and produced in limited numbers — it became a connoisseur's object, prized by those who recognised the craft rather than the name. It set the template for the logo-free, craft-first Bottega Veneta that every later designer would build upon.

Materials & craft

The Cabat is double-woven in Intrecciato from nappa or deerskin so that both faces of the leather are finished — there is no separate lining. Two layers of the weave are worked together, a technique that requires far more leather and labour than a conventional lined bag. The double rolled top handles attach with reinforced, X-stitched leather tabs; the open-top trapezoidal body holds its shape through the density of the weave alone.

How to choose & style

The Cabat is a roomy, soft shopper — carried in the crook of the arm or by the rolled handles, it works as a refined everyday or travel tote. The neutral tans and blacks read most heritage; the brights (coral, cobalt) and metallics turn it into a collector's statement. It has no closure and no structure beyond the weave, so it slouches and softens with age — which, for the Cabat, is the entire appeal.