Why Fashion's Leading Houses Are Building Craft Schools

"It can take a few days, involving a technically complex process and that elusive virtue of patience, for a Bottega Veneta tote to be handwoven in the house's signature intrecciato style. At Accademia Labor et Ingenium, Bottega Veneta's academy of craft and creativity near Vicenza (Veneto), students are trained in these leathercraft processes by master artisans with decades of expertise."

"At Tod's headquarters in Italy's Marche region, meanwhile, Tod's Academy is a mentor-led 'laboratory of ideas.' The focus is on creative collaboration and reinterpreting the house's 'Made in Italy' heritage through a sustainable lens. Students from international fashion schools are tasked with reimagining Tod's design codes and signature products - from the Gommino loafer to the T Timeless logo - in projects combining Italian manufacturing traditions, creative expertise, and environmentally conscious materials like vegan leather and recycled rubber."

"Established in 2023, the academy's workshops and courses offer both classroom and practical atelier-based learning, with skills ranging from prototyping to production. Like most of these high-end training academies, entry is competitive; only 50 students are accepted annually. "As a young apprentice at Bottega Veneta, I learned from the expertise, passion and precision of more experienced artisans," said Ruggero Negretto, one of the academy's program leaders and a long-standing Bottega Veneta master craftsman."

Bottega Veneta, Tod's and Chanel have invested in specialized academies to sustain artisanal techniques and nurture new specialists. Bottega Veneta's Accademia Labor et Ingenium near Vicenza teaches intrecciato leathercraft through classroom and atelier training led by master artisans, with selective annual intake. Tod's Academy operates as a mentor-led laboratory that merges Italian manufacturing traditions with sustainability, asking students to reimagine signature designs using eco-conscious materials. Chanel's Métiers d'Art Fellowship provides intensive mentorship in haute couture crafts such as embroidery, pleating, featherwork, and millinery, preserving centuries-old skills through hands-on training.

Read at Elite Traveler