These are bags. Bottega Veneta’s clever take on the furoshiki

Bags with a strong conceptual core are always a big pull to us. When we saw this Bottega Veneta bag early this week, we immediately thought of the brand’s coveted ‘Jodie’ in their unmistakable Intrecciato lambskin. This is far from the original Jodie, but the unstructured softness is unmistakable. So is the shape. As it turns out, this is a Jodie (Mini), except that, while it is made in the usual lambskin, it looks positively like cotton shirting. And to augment its a la chemise aesthetic, the bag’s distinctive knotted handle is fashioned with two sleeve ends, sporting the sleeve packets and the barrel cuffs, and workable buttons!

The latest Mini Jodie—the original, first launched under Daniel Lee’s tenure in 2020—is rather reminiscent of the ancient Chinese bag known as baofu (包袱) which was derived from an oblong cloth in which the objects (including clothes and personal effects) to be carried were stored. It does also recall the Japanese furoshiki, similar-to-the-bao-fu bags, which is still produced and used. Both these bags do not come in fixed sizes and are as large as their content. The furoshiki’s all-occasion use ensure its ongoing popularity. Similarly, the Mini Jodies are casual bags and Bottega Veneta has kept to the spirit of the furoshiki, and not augmenting its luxuriousness beyond the lambskin pretending to look like striped broadcloth—sans embellishment or hardware.

While this bag is, to us, the handsomest among the many Intrecciato versions, it may not be as appealing to those who prefer bags that look unmistakably luxurious. As one retail old hat told us, “women who pay for expensive bags generally prefer more structured ones, and those with recognisable clasps. Better still if they come with flaps.” Therein lies the appeal of this edition of the Mini Jodie: it could easily be mistaken as a bag that looks like it is made from a boyfriend’s old work shirt. A Charvet repurposed!

Bottega Veneta Mini Jodie handbag , SGD4,200, is available in stores. Photo: K S Yeung