The Quality of Consumer Products
Recently I was reading an article on Vox about why consumer products that are made now are not holding up to the quality of just a few years ago. The author of the article makes very good points about why consumer companies from clothing to tech products are driven to reduce quality and make manufacturing easier in order to maintain a certain price. The point of the article is that cost of materials and cost of labor have constantly been increasing (this last year especially so!) and to maintain prices that consumers are used to, the quality of the materials and the way they are assembled has to be sacrificed.
This made me think about the quality of handmade leatherwork like what I make here at C and B Leather. The items that I make are not only intended to last for many years of service, but ideally they can be passed down to the next generation and still be useable.
So much in our culture is looked at now as disposable or as being useful for a period of time but then cast aside as newer and improved versions come about. We don’t expect our clothing, furniture or appliances to last for years. With electronic tech we even will replace something because we want the newer model even if your existing model still works fine.
When I make quality handmade leatherwork I want the finished product to rise above those expectations. I want it to be something that will last for a long time and that you will keep using for a long time. It should also reflect something about you or your personality. It should be something that fits your personality uniquely. It’s going to cost more than the disposable version, but it will also have more VALUE!
There are craftsmen and women making really high quality items all across the U.S. These people make the things they make because they have a true love of their craft. Each item, be it wood working, sculpting, painting or working with leather, is made with love and care. It’s their goal to make something that is a unique expression of themselves as well as the best quality they can make it. It’s also usually a unique expression of the end user. That is what I’m doing with my leather work, I’m striving to make the best quality handmade leatherwork I possibly can, and if I can make it unique to you I will do that too.
If you are ready to invest in quality for yourself, let me know. If you are looking for a custom made leather notebook, a custom belt, wallet or handbag made just for you contact me to get the process started!
Handmade by a craftsman produces quality that cannot be equaled by today’s mass market consumer items.