demure

couture hat amsterdam

March 2021: True value of 'handmade'

Yuki Isshiki

Recently handmade products are getting attention as a sign of appreciation of authenticity. While I welcome the phenomenon, there are largely two things which I find mmmmmm.

(Definition of handmade and different standards)

I realize that ambiguity of 'what is handmade' creates a room for manipulation for commercial purposes. Removing such ambiguity to identify what is authentic handcraft is important for those who take handcraft and fair trade seriously. I would like to give a few examples in hat world.

  1. Buying a factory made hat and factory made belt, assembling them 'by hand' and call it 'handmade'. Shocking yet I've seen them.

  2. Buy a hat blocking machine, use your hand to operate it and call it 'hand made'. It requires knowledge of simple procedure to operate the machine so I'd say it is more advance than 1 but still.

  3. 'Handmade' by someone who has not been professionally trained. Or handmade with simple and non-time-consuming skills. I love cooking, macrame, sculpting but never went on pro training and I can see not so polished finish in my products. And I would not sell them as 'authentic handmade products'. This is by all means not to disrcredit amateurism. Yet, professional craftmen have invested significant amount of time, energy and often money to learn the hardest and often most detailed tricks and the difference should be recognized and appreciated.

I know, it's a matter of demand and supply and if someone is a master of spin and another is happy to dream on the spin and pay for it, that's their deal and is none of my business. But if such trade is done for the sake of 'authenticity', I find the irony rather unfair on not only customers as well as for businesses who strive for true authenticity.

(Difference as true customer value)

Craftmanship has to be delivered to customers as true product instead of 'stories'. For example, you often hear how time consuming it is to make something or how everything is handmade, but it's not the story you are wearing/using but it is the product and if the product does not carry the unique result of time consuming handwork, there is no point. The price of handmade products consist of material cost and the craftman's wage, the work has to be put towards benefit of customers who pay the prices. It is just a matter of integrity. To be quite blunt, I sometimes see those who brag about how much time it takes to make something while it seems that the 'craftsman' simply isn't experienced or focused enough and as a result it takes long time to make something which can easily be replaces by something factory-made. Sadly these days, even experienced ones often often spend more time and energy in 'story-telling' and not focusing on the products. I totally understand the confusion as there is so much hype about 'branding' and 'storytelling' and some may feel insecure and confused. However difference between marketing focused businesses and authentic artisan businesses is that the former talk with mouths and let the customers dream while the latter let the products speak so customers dreams come true. I know, from business point of view, the latter does not generate 'net profit' as the customers' money is spent on tangible values of the products but I choose to believe in tangible value of my work and want to continue with my efforts to be a better craft person.