The Appreciation of Craftsmanship

In our present time, we live in a society where mass manufactures are only interested in producing things cheaper and getting more profit out of it, whilst compromising on important aspects such as the quality of the cloth. Hence, those corporations may use cheaper cloth and still charge a bit more, something we have come to know commonly as the term Capitalism. On the contrary side, a craftsman looks at things completely differently. A craftsman doesn't think about making things cheaper and getting more profit out of it, a craftsman's main belief is about how to make the product better, to make it last longer and ultimately more beautiful. The craftsman looks to instil more meaning to whatever his hands find to do, seeing as he pretty much pours his heart and soul into his own "creation". 

Story about Cathedral in Amiens

I'll share an interesting story that can help better illustrate the delicate skill of a craftsman. The 19th century romantic poet Harry Heine, he and a friend of his took a walking tour of the cathedrals of France to see all the great cathedrals in the vicinity. So they ended up saving Amiens till the end because it was considered the most beautiful. In the morning they went to the Cathedral, whilst standing and gazing upon the majestic edifice, his friend says something that we would all say to ourselves........"how come we can't make stuff like this anymore". Heine answers the question with ease saying, "the people who made this had convictions, we don't have convictions, we just have opinions." However, it is clear that one can't build a cathedral with opinions. This is the difference between "us" and craftsmen. Craftsmen have convictions that makes them give their lives to the things they craft; in the life of a craftsman, there is a connection between his mind, heart and his hand. As such he is more likely to produce something that is more durable and more beautiful; hence, what this leads to is a product that is the best buy for money. The term luxury in its pure state and not the corrupted state we have come to know as something that is "overly expensive" is coined as the recognition of quality. This is why one should always buy the best they can afford, keep it forever seeing as they could be passed down to your children and keep it away from your wife or girlfriend so they don't end up throwing it away. This is why we should buy classic clothing when we can because they last! The cheap shoes look cheap even when they're new; however, the old shoes look good even when they're old. A common rhetoric I hear often hear seeing as I am still a fairly young lad is when my older uncles or friends say "I've got ties that are older than you" and most times in the past it would just follow with me rolling my eyes. However, I had come to terms with the fact that for something to not just last that long but also look to be pristine condition, it was a creation of true quality.

This is why I urge men constantly to never compromise when it comes to style because every product made by a craftsman has a beautiful story to it. I was watching a movie the other day called "Phantom Thread", quite the movie if you ask me. The character Daniel Day-Lewis who was this once-in-a-lifetime like tailor claimed that he embedded secret notes into the canvas of every garment he made because of how special each creation was to him. So once again, I call on all stylish men to take a stance for that which is right and ultimately that which is right, is that which lasts and ages as fine wine.

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