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Thursday, January 31, 2008: I'm excited to announce a new collaboration with (the) Manolo (for the) Men 'blog. I'll keep writing longer pieces for this site, with shorter, snippier bits there. ManoloMen's Izzy will continue his magnificent-ness there, and I will add some sparkle of my own. Thanks to The Manolo!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
to see how it's made
I firmly believe that the meaning of professionally hand-made objects, if there is any at all, lies only with their user. Interpretation is up to you, since you may see the most beautiful thing in the world or instead just an expensive, indulgent object. As evidenced by this web site, I love well-made things. I love to imagine each bit of work that goes into a mechanical watch, or a shirt: the selection of materials, the knowledge, skill, and experience it takes to expertly execute each following step, and the attention to detail throughout. As a bonus, there are usually variations in the finished product, owing to the human sensibility involved.
Today my mind turns not to clothing but to pianos and their manufacture, owing to a documentary film I just saw called Note by Note, about how Steinway & Sons concert pianos are made. It is playing now at the Film Forum in New York, and is scheduled to show this winter in Chicago, Seattle, Houston, and Portland.
While I found the mechanics of the assembly the most fascinating part, the filmmakers focused more on the craftsmen who make them in the Queens factory and how they contrast with the artists fortunate enough to play them. The craftsmen seem to be precise and practical, with a sensitive streak running through them. Even though the guys look like tough guys, they know very much the kind of artistic product they're making, and they appreciate every ounce of the piano's 990 pounds.
But back to the exciting part: the assembly. Every day there are fewer and fewer makers of anything--pianos, watches, clothes, furniture--who still complete most steps by hand, the way they have always been done. But what I'm really loving to see lately is that these few remaining makers are more willing to open their doors to a customer or a film crew. They seem to be realizing that their secret of production isn't so much a secret; it's just that they take more time, use better ingredients, and look at it with a more exacting eye. In a word, "more." (Yes, more money, too.)
You might see factory tours as a type of customer service, or marketing. I prefer to see it as honesty in manufacturing in a time when there are more and more production shortcuts, off-site or foreign manufacturing, and machines to be hidden. It might also help them survive: Steinway's list price for a model D concert grand is over a hundred thousand dollars. For that price, owners and users have to not only feel and hear the quality, they have to be able to see it.
I know that Kiton, the clothing maker in Naples, sometimes opens its doors for private tours. Ferrari opens their doors to customers. So does Bentley. Many Swiss watchmakers offer tours to horology aficionados. Small clothing makers probably don't know what a factory tour is--instead they might just pull aside the curtain to show you the small room where they make your shirt, your tie, or your shoes. To get a Steinway factory tour you don't have to own one, just you just have to schedule your visit in advance.
The popularity of this type of transparency in production is spreading, and producers are realizing its value. Some companies may not be able to offer factory tours, but they realize how much consumers are valuing quality production methods, even if the cost is higher. From American Apparel to Rag & Bone to Brooks Brothers, they're touting their production locations and methods. I maintain that the meaning in any well-made object is for you to decide, but for me, seeing the origin certainly helps along the story in my mind.
If you know of other companies operating at the pinnacle of their craft and offering tours to prove it, please let me know. I would love to compile a list on The Materialist.
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