Some projects I've completed so far

[Ornyal]

[dikman]

I must have missed this post the first time around, you do some very nice work Ornyal. 

[Ornyal]

Thank you @dikman, I appreciate the kind words

[NatesLeatherGds]

Ornyal, your work is gorgeous. Keep it up. How's your sales efforts going ? My approach is if someone offers money for my item, I take it. I don't charge high and if the person really likes it, I will drop the price if it seems any sort of hang up. I know some people might say not to do that, but since I am doing it for fun mainly, I do i that way. 

[Ornyal]

Hi @NatesLeatherGds, thank you for your kind words too. I'm not actively trying to sell, I get commissions from time to times, mostly from word of mouth and through reddit, so whenever it's someone I know I'll charge the cost of material, and when it's a stranger, I'll charge a bit more (maybe $5 an hour), so I can save some money to buy new/better tools.

 

I am not a bifold kind of guy myself, so I will probably try to sell it on reddit. In this case I will align my price with the one of leatherworkers, to avoid unfair competition.

 

Actually I have gone through recruitment process with Hermès since they have a school near where I live, and I got a positive answer just last week. Unfortunately I will have to decline the offer due to personal events :/ I'm glad I went through it and got some sort of validation anyway.

[MarshalWill]

I really like this latest blue wallet. All your pieces are beautiful but this one is spectacular.

[Ornyal]

This means a lot, and it is much appreciated, thank you @MarshalWill!

[NatesLeatherGds]

7 hours ago, Ornyal said:

Actually I have gone through recruitment process with Hermès since they have a school near where I live, and I got a positive answer just last week.

Wait.... for real?! Do tell us some of the details about the process. Do they subsidize your teaching ? Pay to learn ? You pay the whole way in hopes for a job at the end? Super curious. I've seen some old video of their workers and they are all very good. Excellent in fact. Of course their bags are good. And I can't ever forget seeing one of their saddles down Long Island - impeccable. Anyhow - just curious. Thanks!  Sorry you can't follow up with their answer. 

Edited March 6, 2024 by NatesLeatherGds

[Ornyal]

Ok, so once again, not a native speaker, so let me know if I don't make sense.

They are very well implanted where I live, I'm not going to say exactly where because we're on the internet, but I think it's pretty obvious. So here, they have a partnership with the national unemployment agency, and every year, they take around 10 people (sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less), and help them get a leatherworker diploma. The training goes 6 months in a specialized school and 6 month in one of Hermès workshops. After this, you automatically have a contract with them (if you are willing to work for them). The tuition is free for the attendees (I think it's partly paid by Hermès, and partly by the unemployment agency), and it gets even better: if you are eligible for unemployment benefits, you can get it during the school part of training, and if you are not, Hermès will compensate to a bare minimum (which is around $1250 per month). During your time in their workshop, your salary is fixed to by Hermès (around $2050 per month, but you'd have to pay some tax on that here).

Their recruitment process went like this:

1. basic math & geometry test since there are a few hundreds of person applying
2. logic test, which is a lot like some IQ test
3. practical test where you spend a morning pretending to be a leatherworker at Hermès, you have specs to follow, tasks to do etc...
4. personality test (you cannot get disqualified based on this test only)
5. interview with the HR & interview with some people from their workshops

 

But there are downsides : I have asked many questions along the process and there are the reasons why I'm pretty sure I will not follow up on this:

• Technical:
  • you do not get to work on creating patterns (they obviously already have a well established line of product)
  • you do not get to work on the cutting steps, you kinda receive a puzzle that you have to assemble & finish
  • some stitch lines are machine-made, not many, but it was a disappointment
  • you have to make 1 bag per day, which seems insane to me
• Personal:
  • they were unambiguous that there is no place for creativity and that work will get uncomfortable & tiring
  • you will be making the same item of just a few variation during several year (in order for your skill to mature)
• Very personal:
  • I already make a lot more money, and I have a family to support, so despite the passion; and taking in consideration all the above points, it seems wiser to just keep this a hobby
  • I am planning to move to the countryside with my family so that the kids don't grow up in the city --> not compatible with Hermès
  • I was mostly interested interested in learning how to use new tools, learning new techniques, and trying new materials and products and then using this knowledge to start selling more seriously. But it seems somehow deceiving toward Hermès, and more importantly it's kind of a bet that spending a year with Hermès will make it a lot more easy to sell my crafts, and I am not really able to estimate to what extent this is true

 

There, you know pretty much everything. Feel free to ask any question/clarification, and if you feel like you have any advice to offer on my situation, let me know.

 

 

Edited March 7, 2024 by Ornyal

[NatesLeatherGds]

Ornyal, thank you, this is such an excellent and detailed explanation. So fascinating. It did answer all of my questions and especially what I was curious about as to how much leeway one has as the creator. Which makes sense given that you are creating for a brand with expected and known products to sell. Their program sounds good though for someone to get started, and the pay/stipend to get going, which appears to be helpful to those who want to pursue the route.

As to your own case, well, you've most likely made the best decision given the circumstances and your needs for yourself and family,  so I haven't got advice there.  Obviously a year or more learning would put you out as to your family and such, but I think if you a) did the training then b) actually produced for some stated time (years) as an employee, it wouldn't be deceptive. Only that it seems you haven't got 5 years to do that ! And so again, most likely the best choice. 

Again, thanks very much the explanation. And your English is quite alright.

Good luck with your work, you're already very good! 

 

[Ornyal]

This place is about sharing, so it's always a pleasure to do so when my experience can be of any interest  

[MarshalWill]

Thanks for the explanation, @Ornyal. It is a most interesting hiring process. It sounds like you can feel very complimented that they have considered you. Whether you decide to go for it or not, it sounds like you will be moving forward. Congratulations.

[Ornyal]

Latest projet : a commission for someone who is about to propose! The future spouse is a heavy reader, so he thought about getting a nice bookmark for her, which will patina along her reads.

I find this idea to be very cute!