A new book on luxury craft reveals its stunning growth and lack of ethical transparency.
New European platforms have raised the profile of craft globally. The Loewe Craft Prize is a prestigious international award that honours the best in craft skill and innovation. Meanwhile, the Homo Faber platform has expanded beyond its European base to become a global directory of quality artisans, not to mention the epic Homo Faber Biennale now in Venice.
Where did these platforms come from? They both originate from luxury brands. Loewe is a Spanish luxury fashion house with 150 stores worldwide and an estimated revenue of more than $340 million. Homo Faber is an initiative of the Michelangelo Foundation, which was established by Franco Cologni and Johann Rupert, both part of the Richemond. Richemond is a leading Swiss-based luxury goods holding company that includes brands such as Cartier, Montblanc and Vacheron Constantin.
Why are they spending considerable money in supporting such generous platforms? European luxury brands trade on an overall value of craftsmanship, particularly in contrast to the cheaper knock-offs coming from countries like China. Programs that support these skills can help underpin the expensive prices of their goods.
What are the implications of this for the craft field? A new book helps us understand the nature of the luxury craft industry. The authors of Crafting Luxury include details of its spectacular growth of the luxury market, leading to an estimated income of €1.3 trillion ($1.5 trillion) by 2025.
They tell both sides of the story. Positively, they write about the cultural value of luxury.
In an interview with shoemaker Olga Berluti (2009) she says of luxury: ‘It’s not education, but it’s to teach somebody to respect the deep profound state of the artwork and to feel attached and to feel linked to an object is “being in luxury”, there’s a special relationship.’
They quote the French sociologist Georges Bataille: “The history of life on earth is mainly the effect of a wild exuberance; the dominant event is the development of luxury.” Luxury takes us beyond the purely utilitarian and opens a space to celebrate the exceptional.
On the other hand, they write about a lack of transparency in the luxury brands. Like “made with love”, “artisan made” is a largely unexamined quality. They find workers in their factories who have little training.
Despite Louis Vuitton referring to their production workers as ‘artisans’, it chooses not to hire those experienced in the relevant craft in its factories. One worker was a dog groomer and another previously worked in a factory mincing beef. An applicant with 20 years’ experience in the luxury craft was rejected for her proud attitude.
Those artisans who are skilled are often poorly paid and experience difficult working conditions involving routine processes.
Jean-Marc Damelincourt, who like Giracasa has been employed for 30 years, only earns €2000 a month despite his years of services and skills in working with exotic skins
The authors argue that part of the reason behind these conditions is the lack of curiosity by customers about the making of the products they consume. It’s the antithesis of the Garland platform, which profiles the “story behind” what we make.
There is plenty of useful information here, but the prose is bland and reads like it could have been written by ChatGPT. The authors don’t address the ethical questions raised by their book.
In such a large luxury market, there is undoubtedly much variation in ethical practice. Many will benefit from generous platforms like Loewe and Homo Faber. We should celebrate this. But we should also be mindful that this does not encompass the full range of craft’s value. Luxury value is most often about brand status rather than the object itself. “Living craft” is about its value in everyday life, particularly the humble utensil we bought from a local market when we had a pleasant conversation with the maker. There’s a sense of connection there that is not found in the luxury stores that crowd airports.
The relationship between craft and hierarchy is a complex issue. It’s something we plan to focus on in the Value of Craft Project. Hopefully, this will give us something to meaningful to say when a casual acquaintance says, “Handmade? That’s just for rich people.”
Reference
Bloomfield, Mark, Shaun Borstrock, Veronica Manlow, and Silvio Carta. 2022. Crafting Luxury: Craftsmanship, Manufacture, Technology and the Retail Environment.
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Comments
Thank you for yet another thought-provoking article. While much was written around the rise of Luxury goods even at times such as the pandemic, the politics of artisan has been missing all along.
‘Secrets of Couture’ was an interesting peek into the Luxury world, but the end makers remain largely absent.