The London Lounge

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/4be9277a-3eb9-1 ... t=yes.html

The problem of skills shortage is nothing new. It was already acute before sourcing from developing countries became all the rage. What is new is that the people who are moaning about the problem are also the same people who are exasperating the problem.

The pursuit of profit margin (especially for listed companies that need to satisfy the whims of clueless analysts every quarter), the mad rush to chase after the ‘mass affluent’ segment and the general dumbing down of products have contributed to making the problem more acute. You may have seen the recent full page adverts by the flagship brand of the largest luxury goods group: one version shows an attractive young girl with hands pretty and dainty enough to be a hand model supposedly doing a double-stitch on a handbag handle; another one shows a handsome young boy with perfectly manicured hands painting the sole of a shoe (with a copy declaring that a painted sole is a sign of superior quality). Never mind the fact that people who perform either of these functions tend to have bruised and bloodied fingers. This brand knows their customer base, affectionately referred to as the’ lowest common denominator’; it is no accident that the brand’s after-tax margin is in the mid-30s.

Even twenty years ago, one Frenchman in New York, a noted craftsman in his trade, was trying to persuade the big companies (aka, his clients) to fund a new school to train young people in order to ensure that the craft (at the highest standards) will not become extinct. His plea basically fell on deaf ears. I can only surmise that it was partly because of industry myopia, rivalry and jealousy preventing brands to work together, and perhaps because his own credibility was on the decline as his own workshop, founded with his Polish friend and partner and once a producer of sublime work, suffered in quality in more recent years while their rates increased – if he cannot train up his own people to maintain the level of work for which the workshop was famous, then how can he be trusted to run a school?

To be fair to the brands, the problem is bigger than them in many respects. It is undeniable that the cost of employment in their home markets is very high. For larger, listed companies, they must pay their staff officially in full, which can mean that in many countries the total cost of employment can be twice the gross salary paid. The irony is, of course, that the pay scales for apprentices, qualified artisans and shop foremen are not particularly attractive for the would be applicants, especially given the long, hard apprenticeship that is required.

It seems that more people want a ‘career’ and want it now, before earning it. Recently a director of a major UK supermarket group complained that too many young hires / candidates lack basic maths skills but at the same time have an overgrown sense of entitlement. This complaint seems contradictory to the one made by an official of the Confederation of British Industries that the UK needs fewer university graduates and more school leavers. However, I think that they are consistent in that they both demonstrate the younger generation wanting more sooner.

A craft takes time to master. One has to love the craft in order to get through the long apprenticeship and climb up the hierarchy and become one of the senior artisans. The traditional hierarchy often seems contrary to the modern confusion about equality and sameness, about rights and privileges.

On the macro level, as developed countries move from manufacturing based economies to service based economies, one wonders whether it is social progress or social decline.

s

Well said, Shredder!

There was a documentary recently aired on cable about the demise of the garment district in New York City that was simultaneously fascinating and frightening. Time was the rag trade was responsible for 80%
of the garments manufactured and sold in America. This dates back to the early part of the 20th Century
when immigrant labor was plentiful, cheap and sometimes prone to danger, as it was for the hapless workers in the Triangle Shirt Factory fire who were locked in by management to fill their quotas for the day and perished in the flames or leapt to their deaths by smashing out windows. That horrific incident lead to the formation of the Garment Workers of America, whose jingle was "Just look for the union label". The buildings throughout the district were a behive of manufacturing activity--designers, cutters, seamstresses, tailors--you name it, they made it--and there was nothing inferior about the styling and workmanship.

By the late 1960s to early 1970s, a change had taken place and the percentage of garments made in the district was down to less than 70% and moving toward 50%. Mills in the southland, which specialized in
cottons and woollens, were closed down and the equipment was sold off to manufacturers in other parts
of the world. Free trade zones were set up in different parts of the country, such as Brooklyn, to stave off
outsourcing. A free trade zone allowed the pieces of a garment to be manufactured elsewhere but not assembled altogether in, say, a suit. That had to be done by American workers and, not surprisingly, the
labor force was predominantly latino and asian.

As the years passed and we neared the beginning of the 21st Century, we had lost our garment manufacturing base, which bottomed out to the current 5%. One business after another was either shuttered or sold off to this corporation or that in another land. About all that's left of the district are the showrooms and samples to order from faraway factories. No one is in the back room sketching, cutting, stitching or pressing. It's a ghost district destined, I suppose, to become lofts and condos for the wealthy.

But I do not think garment-making is a thing of the past, not in America or anywhere else. There are designers, weavers, knitters, shirtmakers, cutters, tailors, seamstresses as well as makers of accessories such as hats, ties, leather goods and jewellery. There is creativity in abundance and imagination beyond belief. While you may not have encountered these talents yet, you eventually will. And for those luxury brand corporate twits who harbor the belief that a niche designer can only go so far without big money backing, don't bet on it!

JMB

As a tribal identification of sorts, I am one of those twits, so I probably have a slightly different vantage point. There is an apparent abundance of creativity out there, but the reality is that there seems to be less and less of the genuine sort even though there is no shortage of people entering the design field. The dumbed down market enables the mediocre ones to thrive, so there is no adverse economic impact.

It is true that some niche talents can survive and thrive without financial backing from a large group even in this market climate. It is also true that others have managed to survive solely due to the fact that there is a large group backing them despite years of mounting losses because they are being subsidised by the highly profitable flagship brands in the group's portfolio.

The issue highlighted by the article is not concept but execution.

One cannot control the supply of creativity. It appears when it does, not when one summons it. Formal training often has nothing to do with the quality of output. Concepts emerge when they are ready, and as far as headcount goes, there is nothing to worry about.

However, one can, in theory, control the supply of manufacturing talent. That said, there is a continuing erosion that is very evident in the developed countries. Of course, there are exceptions. There are specialist dial makers in Switzerland or embroiders in Paris, just to cite two examples, who would have perished if it weren't for being acquired by a large group. Execution -- at certain standards -- is an increasingly prevalent challenge. It's actually slightly more tangible than the savoir faire of one country or another.

Shredder:

Interesting from the group-think point of view, but there are a couple of things well-worth considering.

Back in the 1960s Bloomingdale's in New York City started to chase young designers with the enticement of opening a shoplet for each of them. It was a great success at first, with lots of customers--locals and tourists alike--flocking to the flagship store at 59th Street and Lexington Avenue to snap-up the goods.
But the marketing strategy didn't last long. Unbeknownst to the young designers who were working their asses off to fulfill orders, Bloomie's buyers were sending samples of the goods to be copied in Asia. What was shipped back to the store and put on the fixtures was inferior crap. The designers were outraged and, one by one, pulled out of Bloomingdales. It marked the demise of the store, a downturn from which it never really recovered as the place to shop.

That marketing disaster was followed by others, not least when Halston was swept up by the Norton Simon
Group. Drug-addled he may have been afterhours and a homosexual, this was a truly talented American designer following in the footsteps of Norman Norell, Bill Blass and Pauline Trigere. Designers dislike being dictated to by corporate types and customers alike. Each has a unique vision and a feel for what's right. Norton Simon didn't care about individual customers. Groups seldom do. Halston was told--no, ordered--to design a low-cost line for a chain specializing in bargain-basement goods. The designer balked at the idea and was replaced by a hack. Suffice to say that was the end of Halston.

All this happened before the advent of the internet and so-called niche designers with oodles of talent and a yend to be their own entrepreneurs. The lure of a group with seemingly endless resources may entice some, but there are other talents in every endeavor who are plenty savvy about the capabilities of the internet and marketing beautifully made products their ways. It's self-empowering, and that's a plenty potent force with which to contend.

JMB

Jordan Marc wrote:Drug-addled he may have been afterhours and a homosexual, this was a truly talented American designer

Well, I'm pleased that being gay didn't preclude him from being talented.

Speaking of Bloomie's, why do they put so much sugar in the cinnamon buns at their sister store Macy's? Is it because they are using cheap sugar from third world countries?

Shredder:

Never buy bakery goods sold at department stores, Whole Foods or Starbucks, all of whom subcontract to bakeries who use high amounts of sugar and salt in their goods. Americans love their sugar and salt, and
baked goods made without that stuff doesn't sell well. No wonder children are morbidly obese and middle-aged to older people develop Type 2 diabetes. By the same token, sugar substitutes--all of them--are equally dangerous, if not more so. What you need to do is search for genuine artisan bakers, chat them up, and change what you eat. More fish and skinless chicken, less meat.

That should ideally lead to dropping salt and sugar out of your diet entirely. If you crave something sweet,
try an apple or an orange, a slice of melon, or a dish of fresh berries. You'll feel better, and your tailor
will be thankful that he doesn't have to alter your clothes.

JMB

For a chuckle or two, one of the latest adjudications from the ASA: http://www.asa.org.uk/Complaints-and-AS ... 48513.aspx.

This time the ASA got it right.

As one who has the hands and fingers of someone who has double hand sewn countless leather goods for over 27 years, I thank shredder for such a first class piece. I still battle on because I love the traditions of what I do but wonder sometimes at the lack of support from authorities when trying to bring new people in to the trade. This has been coupled with the attitudes of young folk when equating job satisfaction with the pay levels of the silicon revolution and accountancy/clerical boom. On a plus I think the effect has prompted people determined to put their name on a product to forge a place in the market via 'cottage industry' routes and lots of small businesses are doing relatively well thanks to modern communications and especially of course the internet. More fool me perhaps but there is nothing quite like the reward of seeing your products and designs out there either made by yourself or 'echoed' by a design house. Comments and critisicms all welcome. Tim Hardy

Hi Tim,
Are you based in Worcestershire?
s

Hi Shredder,
Yes very much so - born and bread.
Tim

Tim, I was looking at the web site photo of your case handle, which looks beautifully made. Are the sides stained, edge-dyed or done some other way? It is a little difficult to see on my screen. In any case, I would be interested to read your views on the merits and disadvantages of each finish type.
Thanks,
s

Hi Shredder, in answer the handle is what is know as cut edge, the traditional way with heavier bridle leather, which is edge stained and polished by using several hand processes before sealing. This take place both prior to and after it is double hand stitched. Another method for lighter weight leathers is to cover a similar looking leather foundation with leather completely and turning in the edges to capture them before hand stitching - these can be found on Tanner Krolle briefcases or similar quality. Both are equally strong if made using best leathers and both are very time consuming but really finish any good case properly. Hope this helps, Tim