Construction choices, price, materials, luxury
Through the continual pursuit of gaining as much leather craft knowledge as I possibly can by training, reading, and through experimentation, I have learned to make small goods to an extremely high degree of luxury and craftsmanship. I am not saying this in a boastful way or to “toot my own horn”. It has actually led to an ongoing internal debate:
Making things to the best of my ability is a painstaking slow and tedious process. The get that extra 20% or so of quality/luxury, my labor time is basically doubled. This disparity cannot be lessened through automation or machinery either, it just comes down to good old fashioned hand work. On paper, from a cost benefit perspective, it makes no sense to operate in such a manner and it certainly isn’t a wise business choice.
This encourages me to want to offer simpler items of less quality and to cut corners so that I can meet a lower price point. I think that would be the wiser business decision. After being plagued by these thoughts, it is not long before I snap out of it, and come to what I have now deemed to be my senses.
I am not a “businessman”. That isn’t my pursuit and that isn’t what gets my motor running - I am a leather craftsman. Making leather items, getting better, making progress in my craft, and living out this passion every day is what gets me out of bed and puts a smile on my face at the shop. There aren’t many people out there that are able to make things to the degree that I do. Again, I am not boasting. I owe all of my knowledge to my teachers, Go-san, Ikema-san, and Niwa-san, so I am essentially bragging about them, not myself. Since I have this knowledge and ability, it seems extremely wasteful not to use it. That is why I have decided not to sacrifice the quality of my small goods to meet a certain price point for a more broad appeal. I will make items to the best of my ability, and the price will be the price.
I do think it is fair to illustrate the craftsmanship that goes into the details however. These details are most often unseen and unrecognized individually, but as a whole, come together to elevate the quality and hand-feel of an item, giving it that intangible quality of luxury.
Often luxury seems to be conflated with the use of expensive materials - Alligator, Crocodile, Python, Lizzard, etc. It seems some brands use that as a crutch. The problem with these materials, with the exception of matte Alligator, is that they do not age well. The types of items I make aren’t “fast fashion”, so how they age needs serious consideration. That is why I prefer vegetable tanned leathers from Italy that develop a warm, beautiful richness with time and use - A patina that is unique to your relationship with the item and is a joy to see develop over time.
I am worried that this may come off as a rant, as arrogance, or that I am delusional. I assure you that I am grounded in reality and am aware of my abilities and shortcomings. This topic is just something that I am passionate about and have strong opinions on. This is the core of my little world, and I would like to share it.
I will be breaking down each important aspect of craftsmanship and giving them their own posts which can be viewed using the links below: