The obsession drives deeper

[esantoro]

I've been coming across some very interesting youtube videos.

Hermes:

[leatheroo]

excellent vid...i enjoyed it...but would never pay THAT price

[GregGaub]

I couldn't resist commenting on that video.

Yes, the craftsmanship is great, and the bags are worth a lot... just not $6,000 for their cheapest low-end bag. KA-RAZY!

Like any other high priced status symbol, it's all about the name, not the product. At least in this case, there is *some* amount of virtue in the product, as opposed to some company charging the same amount for composite leather and machine sewing.

[MADMAX22]

I wouldnt mind having all that croc skins. I think I was watering at the mouth lol

[esantoro]

I've been in one of the Manhattan stores. A lot of their stuff is machine stitched: belts, wallets, notebooks. I would even bet a good deal of their bags. I read an airline magazine article once where one of the master crafters ducked the question of how much machine stitching is employed.

I like what one woman said her grandfather, founder or one of the founders had said (if I understood her correctly): luxury is something that can be repaired. I took this to mean that the item is timeless and constructed in a way that allows for repairing.

It's also very interesting to see how people work in the craft environments of these upscale communities. I think I'm going to start handling my bags with one gloved hand, when necessary.

Someone in the fashion world told me that the same amount of skill goes into making $50 knockoffs. I was surprised to see so many young stitchers. I was expecting everyone who works on a Hermes bag to be a 50+ master craftsperson.

I've taken two of my bags into the Manhattan Hermes to be critiqued by the master craftsman there. The manager came over and we had a good chat. She told me to keep bringing my work in. In a few weeks, I'll have some bridle leather in and I'll be working on a special bag to bring back to them. I may machine punch the holes and hand stitch everything but the straps, or I may go with thick stitchless straps. I'm already working on a method where I machine punch all the top stitching holes, glue, and wheel the machine by hand to stitch the bag together.

Ed

[esantoro]

And here's a different side of the upscale environment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rsx2ZYYrLe4

[Davy]

Yep they sure are meticulous at each stage of production , but after all said and done it's still just another production line item , volume production at that . Embossing leather is way more difficult to produce that perfect finish on every component of a handbag than the pre finished chrome leathers that they use . Why the difference in price ? The name maybe ? And the people who buy one of those bags will never need to get it repaired because they'll probably only use it once or twice maybe .

[esantoro]

I much prefer the Hermes production environment. Much more human. What's interesting is that I think the values embedded in those environment do come out in the products. The second environment, to me, is less human oriented.