House Proud

Four decades after Bottega Veneta opened its first international outpost on Madison Avenue (attracting such boldface names as Andy Warhol and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis), creative director Tomas Maier stages a triumphant return with a highly anticipated show at New York Fashion Week and a molto-chic mega boutique—the brand’s largest in the world.

- Naomi Rougeau

“I’ve always been a New York addict, in a way,” Tomas Maier says by phone, from his Manhattan office. “In New York, you are literally in architecture. Right now, I’m looking at the IBM Building by Edward Larrabee Barnes—how it reflects the clouds. It’s fascinating.” The German-born designer owes much of his success to his exacting eye for detail. (He famously dropped the ‘h’ in his first name to achieve better symmetry.) As creative director of Bottega Veneta—the Italian label known for its high-end intrecciato leather goods—he painstakingly oversees everything from the brand’s signature Cabat totes, handwoven by two artisans over a 40-hour period, to a line of subtly luxe furniture and home accessories. His latest endeavour: merging three landmarked 19th-century townhomes on New York’s Upper East Side that currently showcase the complete range of Bottega Veneta products.