OBJECTS OF ART
Crocodile and lizard skin Knots with antique silver accents from Spring/Summer '07. 

WHEN Tomas Maier joined Bottega Veneta as its creative director in 2001, he spotted a bag among the Milanese brand's early designs that he felt had a 'special quality'.

It was a small, rounded box clutch that had been created in 1978; the designer found it attractive because of 'the size, the way it fit in a woman's hand, and the balanced shape'.

Says Maier: 'The shape is so pure and simple that it lends itself to endless variation. It's like a canvas, able to hold anything we can imagine in terms of craftsmanship, material, and colour.'

He gave the clutch a new closure in the shape of a small leather knot, christened it the Knot, and elevated it thus into the realm of iconic, timeless design.

Since then, versions of the Knot - decorated with everything ranging from faceted onyx and antique crystals to padded satin and woven sterling silver - have appeared in every Bottega Veneta collection, as well as in the hands of a multitude of fashion-conscious fans.

The Knot turned 30 in 2008 (if you backdate its age to when it was just a nameless box clutch), and in that year Bottega Veneta launched a touring exhibition entitled 'The Knot: A Retrospective' to celebrate the best-selling bag's journey over the years.

The showcase started in the brand's Montenapoleone boutique in Milan and has so far been to a handful of other stores around the world such as that in Bal Harbour in the US and London's Sloane Street boutique.

In Asia, the retrospective has visited Hong Kong, Taiwan and India; next on the list is Singapore, where the exhibition will be held in the label's new Ion Orchard store from Thursday until Sunday.

Says Maier: 'We knew our Singapore customers would appreciate the exhibit and we wanted to share with them this link to Bottega Veneta's origins. The Knot is very much a symbol of Bottega Veneta; a link to the company's history and its future.'

More than 80 Knot designs will be on display here, including the limited edition Jardin Knot crafted from a profusion of ebony-coloured leather blossoms from the 2005 Autumn-Winter collection, and a pastel-hued series made of exotic skins and antique silver accents from 2007's Spring/Summer collection. A few pre-Maier designs from the 1980s and 1990s will also be shown.

On how the pieces were selected for the exhibition, Maier says: 'My aim with the selection was to illustrate the range of artisanal techniques, materials, and colours that have been applied to the Knot. The breadth of craftsmanship, especially, is remarkable.'

Bottega Veneta, the Knot and the artisans who make the bag share a special relationship, he continues, as each bag is crafted by hand. 'So the artisan's touch, his or her skill, is what makes each Knot unique,' explains the designer.

He adds: 'On occasion, the artisans will also contribute to the design process by exploring a new technique or illustrating how an existing technique can be evolved or applied in a new way. The process is always collaborative.'

While it was fairly easy to bring together the Knots he had designed, tracking down the older pieces was difficult as 'the company never kept an archive', Maier notes.

To do that, the company searched vintage stores, reached out to its long-time customers for help, and asked its employees and their friends to 'keep their eyes open'.

It was 'a treasure hunt', as the designer puts it - and the resulting haul of riches is sure to propel more consumers to tie the Knot with the brand.

The Knot: A Retrospective is on from May 13 to 16 at Bottega Veneta, #01-04A Ion Orchard Tel: 6238 0020