After your LV video I was talking to my daughter about this exact thing. A handmade $100 wallet was much better than a LV $500 wallet, but if placed together, the LV would sell every time. There is a saying in the gallery industry, “Buyers look at the price before they look at the art”.
Actually it didn't used to be like that luxury goods meant quality. Now if you want quality luxury goods you need to buy counterfeit luxury goods. Seriously an genuine product and a counterfeit product have been tested side by side many times and the counterfeit ends up being better quality than the genuine. The counterfeit is using the same materials and sometimes even from the same factory. The thing is those making counterfeit products assume luxury meant quality and try their best to reproduce the product as best as possible using that as a standard excellent quality trying not to look like a knock off or counterfeit. The luxury brand knows they can sell you a crap product for a high price and if it falls apart great then you need to buy a new one. They know you are buying brand recognition not the product itself. Why you can see some very ugly brand name products still selling even if a homeless man freezing in winter would rather die freezing than wear.
@@Lostboy811 There's truth to this, but I don't think it's some kind of new phenomenon, just something that grows naturally out of how companies age. Every once in a while, you get a craftsman or company that gets a reputation for building a high quality item. Usually, these items cost more, because with less corners cut, with quality of materials or QA, the cost of materials and time goes up. But after a while, the reputation develops a life of its own. People flock to the brand, not because they can see it's high quality, but because it's "Brand X" and everybody _knows_ Brand X makes the highest quality items. And with increased demand, comes increased price. At this point, companies tend to start backing down on their quality of their craftsmanship, because if that's not what people are paying for anymore, why waste the money on it? Some companies manage to fight this pull, opting to have lower revenues for higher quality items, but as the length of a reputation starts pushing into decades, or generations, and those original craftsmen retire, it becomes harder and harder to resist that pull. If highest quality is your goal, you need to learn enough to recognize high quality when you see it, and then go out searching for the little known guy, who's pursuing his craft with an almost monk-like dedication. These are the people who if you're _really_ into something or are fellow makers, this is the person they talk about, not the brands everyone knows about. (They're almost always out there, but since they really aren't working for the money or cutting costs, they don't really scale, and you tend to end up with massively long wait lists instead.)
I found a brick in our backyard when I was a kid - this was around 1970 or 1972 in New Jersey. Something about how it had aged fascinated me. I brought it upstairs and used it as a doorstop for my bedroom door - specifically to hold my door closed so it'd annoy my younger brothers when they tried to barge into my room to bug me lol! Anyways ... a few years later, my aunt taught me crochet and I crocheted a cover for that brick, primarily because mom kept "yelling" at me to get that "ugly rock" out of the house ;) Considering how unskilled I was at crochet and didn't know a thing about how to calculate stitch counts etc., it came out pretty darn good! Anyways, I'll be turning 60 later this year, and that brick is still with me. In the 80s, it came to college with me and lived in my dorms and first apartments. In the early 90s, it lived with me during that year I spent in a tent in a campground when I was homeless (yet working full time). In the 2000s, it lived with me in my first house, and then in the 2010s, spent 4 years living with me in a RV after I lost my first house to a natural disaster, and now in the 2020s, it lives with me holding open the door of my tiny craft room in my current home, where I live in a cheap, small, old renovated bungalow on a river in the wilds of Oregon, living peacefully and free. Over the years, I did eventually replace the crocheted cover with a better crocheted cover and then a few years ago, having mastered quilting, I made a quilted cover for that brick. To me, luxury is knowing that no matter what life throws at me, I will always find a way to survive and even thrive, that within me is the ability to figure out any problem and find a solution, to never stop learning , always being as resilient and steadfast as that brick.
This is such a sweet story and a wonderful sentiment. Didn’t expect a UA-cam comment about a cherished brick to almost make me cry this morning but here we are. ❤
I get it. I understand that ride you have ridden. I, too, am originally from the NYC area. I remember those beautiful old solid brick buildings on Staten Island and parts of Manhattan. At times, life throws bricks at us. It's awesome that you chose to carry one, and it never let you down.
After starting leather crafting only 8 months ago, and watching all of your videos, I have realized that the people I know are more interested in what I make than luxury brands. I am making simple totes with added features that my friends want, that they cannot purchase from a retailer. The goods that I produce are hand cut, hand stitched, and hand finished; they have flaws but are ridiculously durable and made with passion. I thank you for your ramblings about luxury and I preach the same to others whenever they will listen. I wish you a very good day and thank you for your time and knowledge.
I much prefer to contract unique things from artisans. I have leather goods crafted by an Amish craftsman, a ranch hand in Texas, a lovely woman in Baltimore etc I wouldn’t trade them for a big brand name item. Things made with genuine pride and passion shows in the details. Good luck with your endeavors.
The West Barnstable Brick Company was very important to all of MA. You can find bricks out in Springfield. For me, it's more about history. Today's "Luxury" brands use cheap labor, cheap parts and then sell it back to consumers at top dollar because their name is on it. No thank you. Why can you find a West Barnstable Brick still today? True quality. One of the reasons I enjoy watching you and what you put out to the world. We need more.
Funny story, adjacent to this. I had a restoration job on a 1800's brick house. We got the right approval for the restoration of the North wall, we had 60% of the period correct bricks gathered from various other sources and we needed a 40% of new bricks, engineered to make up the base of the wall, to take up the load properly, on new material, so the house outlasts us all as well. Talks were had, with reputable names, quotes were had, discussions with our experts, their experts the state etc. Then the first batch arrives and i instantly noticed that after all that, AND the price, it's garbage. I knew the moment i saw them, i was convinced the moment i picked them up. More, discussions ensued, and finally their local CEO dropped by, because it's a big piece for them. And it basically boiled to "do you have the confidence to assert that your bricks are as good as these bricks made in the 1800's, possibly even earlier (taking material from one house for another, was common among even rich people of the time - some would even buy properties to acquire the materials to make a new house in another location. We've seen elements from churches into mansions, Roman componentry into early 1900's houses etc). He said yes, which was a foolish thing to do, because ... we basically proceeded to use one of the old bricks on standby to break and chip apart these new bricks. TLDR: they can't even make bricks properly anymore. Also reminds me of that time when Jay Leno shamed a company that was still around in name, to make him a car component their forefathers made, when they said "we're sorry, we don't make this anymore". Unless you shame them directly or take them to court, they will not make good products and will try to gip you even when big money is in play.
Luxury to me means quality materials, R&D, process, care and skilled labor. A lot of time goes into those things, which is our most valuable commodity.
Luxury, is me, a man who has a wife and kid, has the time to watch a video of a man who also takes pride in his specific trade, to help show the world that the act of refining their trade (no matter what it is), is the key to finding an enriched life. That's a blessing. Religious or not, my definition of luxury is essentially someone who is blessed enough to partake in things that are outside of meeting their immediate common needs. There's far more luxury in today's society than we acknowledge.
I like antiques. They are luxury to me but young people and relatives think they are fugly just because they are quite old. But I like stuff that withstood the test of time and has retained its craftmanship.
My first (and only serious) leatherwork project was to stitch a leather cover onto my bicycle handlebars. I had simply gotten tired of how the standard, spiral wrapped tape never stayed in place. So, I cut strips of leather wide enough to wrap around the bars. I had to guess as to how much the leather would stretch once the stitches were pulled tight. I soaked the strips in water, punched holes with an awl as I went (so the hole pattern would account for the curves of the handlebars), and had to completely invent my own stitch pattern so the seam would lay flat (because I could find no info on that, back in 1988). I got compliments everywhere I went. I had the "luxury" of knowing enough to figure out how to do what I wanted, on my first try. Then I had the "luxury" of the additional comfort and gripability of my handlebars. And I had the "luxury" of not needing to bother with those crappy handlebar tapes for the over ten years that I had that bike. I'm a lot of ways, the most "luxurious" things that I have ever owned are things that I have been able to EXACTLY the way I want them to be.
This video is saying what I’ve thought about since I first started using your videos to help with my leather craft. You can buy a $400 handbag from a craftsman that is better quality and can look nicer than a $2,000 from a big label
Luxus ist für mich zu lernen. Mir Zeit zu nehmen bis meine Hände die Fähigkeiten haben z.B. die Naht so gleichmäßig zu nähen wie ich es möchte. Luxus ist für mich, wenn ich Einzelstücke fertigen kann. Die genau so für die Person angepasst sind die es bekommt möchte. In die Gerberei zu fahren und mir die Häute vor Ort aussuchen zu können. Luxus ist Zeit! Luxus ist für mich wenn ich mir gutes Werkzeug kaufen kann das zu mir passt. Luxus ist wenn dieses und andere Handwerke nicht aussterben. Luxus ist das Gefühl wenn ich mit meinen Händen etwas schönes geschaffen habe. Und wenn ich gebrauchte Kleidung kaufen kann die mal teuer war, ist es prima, nur kein Luxus oder Status. Danke für Deine Videos und das Du uns an Deinen Gedanken teilhaben lässt. Fröhliche Grüße aus Deutschland
I liked your point about how now that everything has been mass manufactured, the human element itself has become luxury. So an example could be “hand-stitched” or just the word “handmade” on an item. Its also interesting to see this same exact thing on items from long ago. I have an axe that says “hand-hammered” that must be 100 years old. So even back then, the idea of a tool being forged by a human hand was captivating.
I don’t wanna promo my own art, I’m not even comfortable w sharing it, but I’ve had this concept art, just plastering a face on top of a bag and labeling it as “dirt cheap” just to highlight the self fallaciating nature of “designer” products. Another artist on Instagram who works with mixed media absurdism uses the monicker of “pure designer pain” which I absolutely love. Keep up the great work, I’m happy I found this channel.
Designer bags are the biggest scam - it's just all marketing and magazine advertisements. You could buy an Italian sectional sofa for the same price as a handbag.
I think most luxury brands become so due to their quality, but at some point they start to monetize their luxury status and that's when quality starts to drop. Eventually they're selling exclusivity.
In many cases that’s true but a lot of brands skipped the whole quality part and went for limitability such as supreme who sold $5 tshirts for $120 since the very beginning.
Some people (too many people) are famous just because they're famous. The same works for brands. There's a sucker born every minute, and we're the suckers... until we learn to move beyond that.
Love this! As someone who has had the luxury to learn the craft of stained glass, I can totally relate. I compete with cheaply built low quality works while doing my best to learn and preserve the classical methods that produce works that will stand the test of time. There really is a difference under it all and love how you help tell teat story. Let me know when you want to collaborate on a stained glass purse 🙂
My mother used to work in sales for a handmade quality leather goods company that has since gone out of business. After working there for some time and seeing what *actual* leatherwork looked like, she explained to me how most luxury leather goods brands like LV, Coach, etc are basically plastic pieces glued together with maybe a minimal fraction of actual leather material.
i feel that way about my handknit sweaters! also nothing tends to fit me so it's nice to knit something that 100% fits me hah. i've had people beg me to knit them the same sweaters, even with commission, but honestly it would be so time-consuming that i'd have to charge something like $500 lol and even then i wouldn't really want to do it. i think that was probably a moment for some people that unless they themselves learn how to knit, they may never get something like that _ever_, and that makes it insanely exclusive.
My first ever project was replacing an old leather strap & buckle on an antique rifle. Time had worn this poor thing to pieces but I remade it, took my time, and it looked terrible when it was done. But I was and still am proud of that piece. To me, that feeling of pride and accomplishment is a true luxury.
So so nice, so funny, so beautiful. From a woman who worked in Haute Couture and love every items made by human hands and skills, whatever the domain is. Industrial items speak about money, hand made items speak about life, love and dedication.
Luxury for me is having time to grow food, mill grain for bread and stocking our pantries and freezers with food I preserved because my husband works hard so that I have the freedom to do those things. My time is mine and I don’t take that for granted.
I wanna thank you for making videos to show how it’s possible for everyone to make something. I fixed my keyboard wrist rest with some leather from a local show, I pulled it apart and rewrappd the pad.
I've not tried my hand at leatherwork but it's clear even to me that you make beautiful and rugged pieces. I knit, the only person in my family to still do so. I consider it a luxury, to take this skill my Grandmothers passed down to me, and spend weeks of my free time making something to keep the newest baby in the family warm.
I feel you wholeheartedly… I am a portrait artist and struggle with the astronomical prices of garbage art that is nothing more than thrown paint on a canvas… this helps put it all in perspective. You definitely earned a follow here brother.
I want you to know that I watch Everything you post, and I genuinely see and feel the passion you have for this beautiful craft. There is no other creators on this platform that can provide the knowledge in the way you provide it, these videos are more than valuable to me, Thank you, Genuinely. I hope to do the same for many others in the near and distant future.
Thank you. I really needed to hear those words of wisdom. I've been having a hard time trying to find my own identity with my leather crafting. I felt that is what everybody wanted was a overly priced, low quality name brand product. Thanks again for this video.
9:15 i love it. As someone who works with bricks and old building materials (house restoration), i have my fair share of "door stops" even a few desktop items. That said, i can tell, just by looking that this is a quality brick. A far cry from top quality bricks today.
I take handmade over brand every time. I have some classic name brand bags and leather goods bought second-hand over time, but my favorites are the handmade ones bought from a highly skilled friend. I love your doorstop!
I do believe time is what luxury is. As one who makes bespoke costume items, there is more skill in something I and we do, than in any piece of wallet or handbag. We, being very just middle class, sent our kids to a high end private school, but i was making very high quality items for our kids, things the children of the very wealthy parents could not make - they either didnt have the time or skill, or both as it turns out. WHile they lived in big houses, and drove fancy cars, their friends wanted the coat they had, or the merch branded copy costume on book day I made myself. What parents didnt understand is that often these items took weeks each to make. There was a quality in these items that was not in the off the internet bought items. Yes - time is what makes something valuable.
I hate living in this world where people expect women to learn how to defend themselves because they don't think they can expect men to be taught to stop hurting women.
Just a wonderful video and full of food for thought. I love your reflections on the modern time and the lack of manual knowledge. That is why I love to do leather work. Cause not everyone have the knowledge and it needs to be continued. Also love your videos and patterns.
In the context of both your interpretation and the world of consumer goods, "Luxury" can be distilled down to this: when presented with two or more options to a choice, you have the ability to choose. most often, the chosen option is the one with "more", be that cost, options, recognition, or quality. unfortunately, the majority of the time, "luxury goods" aren't chosen for their own merits, but rather for the perception those merits cast onto the owner. This topic then is relevant to your previous video regarding counterfeits, which only convey the appearance of being able to choose.
Excellent video and thank you❤. This is my second video of yours to watch. The first video I saw was just snip its of it on another channel which led me to yours. I love your work, outlook and views.
Someone once asked me what the difference in vintage and modern glass marbles are and I said it just comes down to what was hand made and what was mass produced. I'd absolutely love to wear vintage marble earrings over diamond earrings. I like the idea of luxury as something we can't find easy or something that takes time to make. Time is the real luxury.
Now I need a handle for one of my hometown bricks. I have a bunch of bricks, given to me by my dad, that were made in my hometown. Some have been used in walkways, some are stored. I think I need a nice handle to use one for a doorstop. I certainly have a need for that as crosswinds blows doors shut when 2 windows are open. As a crafter of jewelry, and quilts, I too have the luxury of creating. I usually gift a quilt for wedding and births. Jewelry is sometimes a bridal gift. Selling can be challenging because not all understand the time and skill involved. This didn't come from China via Walmart. Thanks for sharing. Beautiful thoughts along with the end product.
I have a brick with my name on it. In northern Minnesota the train track and little depot sat on our farm going to Duluth and Lake Superior. That long before I was born. We would find all kinds of neat items. I kept one brick for myself. It have gone all over the US. I would love to have it transformed like you did. Amazing work. 😊
I agree with you 100%! So far I have refused to buy LV pieces, but if I saw one for cheap on 2nd hand market I would snag it. I think other brands are superior quality for a fraction of the cost. For example the Dooney & Bourke Florentine line line is made of 100% veg tanned leather from Italy for a fraction of the price of a LV canvas bag. Coach 1941 line is not a bad product for the price. They are not so expensive that I wouldn't modify them to meet my needs. You have great craftmanship. The brick door stop is way cool!! TFS
I think agree, the time to learn and make something that is unique is luxury. Just as I love my backpack that took me 1 month to make, it's cheap (only 20-30 Dollars in materials) but the time and thought out into it makes it a thing that is worth so much more that it's materials.
Really interesting point of view. I’m not sure it’s generation thing or not, but it seems like the value and perspective of luxury have changed over the years. Thanks for the video. You are a great inspiration of my leather craft.
I think you have made the most luxurious door stop on the East Coast. You leather skills are (and have been) top notch. Your ideas are slightly on and off the beaten path. That is a good thing. If I had a brick that was made last century, I might feel the need to 'luxurisize it'. I think I will look up the brick comany's history. I do know that automated brick manufacters were responsible for better homes. Fire resistant. Faster and cheaper to build. Thanks Eric. (where did you get the strap cutter? I hate my wood one.)
Luxury is growing a taste for resource expendeture, rather than growing a taste for minimizing resource expenditure. You end up less happy because your goals aim for inefficency. If you had grown a taste for something as strongly as have for a luxury peice, you would be happier because it wouldnt require you too use way more resources than would otherwise be needed if opperating towards efficency.
An accurate articulation of where many crafters arrive. I often ask prospective clients "Name an item you own along with the person who crafted it." When they cannot, I simply assert they don't understand *High Luxury*. It's a person or group intimately committed to craftmanship, because it's who they are. It's their identity. They're on a path pursuing idealized perfection and growth. Design houses forgo the very nature of artisanal crafters when they negate creative expression for corporate gain and brand recognition. If any of them cared about developing growth they'd include the crafters name below the brand logo. Something like: Louis Vuitton via Joe Smith. Not only does this encourage individual development, but it encourages competition ultimately arriving at better products. Sadly, design houses are only interested in margin and brand leverage. I've long been at the point where I regard major design houses as mediocre pretenders. Now and again I wander inside to see what designs are trending,..but there's no genuine respect. Thanks for the chat Eric. 🥃
On the topic of wrapping rocks, as an Argentinian, I would love to see you making some luxury bolas (or boleadoras). Extra points if you use some of that LV leather or the blue alligator from Hermes. Blue Alligator Scrotum Bolas, now that's luxury!
My particular recycling style manifests as an idea to saw a half inch facing off the brick, reinforce by gluing to 1/4” wood, then build working purse around that…
To be honest... Im 💯 on board with you. I have the luxury to look at "luxury brands" at the store and see the garbage Stitching and cheap materials and know I can go home and make a better quality product that my kids and possibly grandkids could use. Of course this I have come to understand is a rarity and not many have the skills. It can also be a curse knowing that these companies are getting crazy money for garbage.
And hence after occasionally seeing items handmade... I decided I won't really go for luxury brand instead a very good quality handmade one. The one that truly uses good quality and workmanship.
What you are saying in the beginning of the video, about those brands customers’ target, is the absolute truth. They don’t want to sell to rich people, they are selling illusions to normal people
The most important commodity any of us has is time, so using a lot of that to create something is one of the things that makes something a luxury. But clearly, the word has multiple definitions, cost and rarity are two further metrics.
I think luxury is subjective, someone affording the best they can afford is a luxury to them but for the next guy that thing may be mediocre. I'd prefer to think in terms of quality rather than "luxury" because past a certain level you are just paying for branding not necessarily quality as you rightly pointed out. Love the videos as always man
Those are some very interesting thoughts. Unfortunately (for me), I was distracted by the carry handle you made. That's the kind of quality we used to be able to find on high priced leather h goods. It's a shame such quality isn't readily available anymore.
Brilliant. Luxury is hand made by willing artisans of the age of majority. It is enduring quality that doesn’t short-change the environment in pursuit of profit or being first to market. Luxury is at many price points and makes you feel special.
Staying rich isn’t about not spending the money (realise that was in jest). I do spend money, and do still wear brands like Loro Piana which fit into the middle class end, but only buy the fabric. Everything’s made bespoke - Saville Row, no brands, no one knows what I’m wearing. There’s nothing more distasteful to me than wearing a brand but I appreciate that’s just an opinion and love that everyone gets to have their own style/ expression.
Luxury is my opinion a tax term for importation of goods, we tend to call Luxury items foreign brands, we don't consider coach or ralph lauren Luxury. I do but in our popular culture it's always foreign imports.
After your LV video I was talking to my daughter about this exact thing. A handmade $100 wallet was much better than a LV $500 wallet, but if placed together, the LV would sell every time. There is a saying in the gallery industry, “Buyers look at the price before they look at the art”.
I’m gonna make wallets and sell them for $500. Thank you
@@nickm8458 This works for Salt Bae. He covers steak in $10 of edible gold and charges $1,000.
Actually it didn't used to be like that luxury goods meant quality. Now if you want quality luxury goods you need to buy counterfeit luxury goods. Seriously an genuine product and a counterfeit product have been tested side by side many times and the counterfeit ends up being better quality than the genuine. The counterfeit is using the same materials and sometimes even from the same factory. The thing is those making counterfeit products assume luxury meant quality and try their best to reproduce the product as best as possible using that as a standard excellent quality trying not to look like a knock off or counterfeit. The luxury brand knows they can sell you a crap product for a high price and if it falls apart great then you need to buy a new one. They know you are buying brand recognition not the product itself. Why you can see some very ugly brand name products still selling even if a homeless man freezing in winter would rather die freezing than wear.
@@Lostboy811 where can I find cheap high quality counterfeits?
@@Lostboy811 There's truth to this, but I don't think it's some kind of new phenomenon, just something that grows naturally out of how companies age. Every once in a while, you get a craftsman or company that gets a reputation for building a high quality item. Usually, these items cost more, because with less corners cut, with quality of materials or QA, the cost of materials and time goes up. But after a while, the reputation develops a life of its own. People flock to the brand, not because they can see it's high quality, but because it's "Brand X" and everybody _knows_ Brand X makes the highest quality items. And with increased demand, comes increased price.
At this point, companies tend to start backing down on their quality of their craftsmanship, because if that's not what people are paying for anymore, why waste the money on it? Some companies manage to fight this pull, opting to have lower revenues for higher quality items, but as the length of a reputation starts pushing into decades, or generations, and those original craftsmen retire, it becomes harder and harder to resist that pull.
If highest quality is your goal, you need to learn enough to recognize high quality when you see it, and then go out searching for the little known guy, who's pursuing his craft with an almost monk-like dedication. These are the people who if you're _really_ into something or are fellow makers, this is the person they talk about, not the brands everyone knows about. (They're almost always out there, but since they really aren't working for the money or cutting costs, they don't really scale, and you tend to end up with massively long wait lists instead.)
I found a brick in our backyard when I was a kid - this was around 1970 or 1972 in New Jersey. Something about how it had aged fascinated me. I brought it upstairs and used it as a doorstop for my bedroom door - specifically to hold my door closed so it'd annoy my younger brothers when they tried to barge into my room to bug me lol! Anyways ... a few years later, my aunt taught me crochet and I crocheted a cover for that brick, primarily because mom kept "yelling" at me to get that "ugly rock" out of the house ;) Considering how unskilled I was at crochet and didn't know a thing about how to calculate stitch counts etc., it came out pretty darn good! Anyways, I'll be turning 60 later this year, and that brick is still with me. In the 80s, it came to college with me and lived in my dorms and first apartments. In the early 90s, it lived with me during that year I spent in a tent in a campground when I was homeless (yet working full time). In the 2000s, it lived with me in my first house, and then in the 2010s, spent 4 years living with me in a RV after I lost my first house to a natural disaster, and now in the 2020s, it lives with me holding open the door of my tiny craft room in my current home, where I live in a cheap, small, old renovated bungalow on a river in the wilds of Oregon, living peacefully and free. Over the years, I did eventually replace the crocheted cover with a better crocheted cover and then a few years ago, having mastered quilting, I made a quilted cover for that brick. To me, luxury is knowing that no matter what life throws at me, I will always find a way to survive and even thrive, that within me is the ability to figure out any problem and find a solution, to never stop learning , always being as resilient and steadfast as that brick.
This is such a sweet story and a wonderful sentiment. Didn’t expect a UA-cam comment about a cherished brick to almost make me cry this morning but here we are. ❤
This story is inspiring. Thank you...
I get it.
I understand that ride you have ridden.
I, too, am originally from the NYC area. I remember those beautiful old solid brick buildings on Staten Island and parts of Manhattan.
At times, life throws bricks at us. It's awesome that you chose to carry one, and it never let you down.
@@crashrose6128 ♥
@@orange-o ♥
Let us know if Barnstable Bricks sends a private investigator over 😅😅
Shoulda made the handle with the LV fabric. 😆
🙄😆
😂
😂😂😂😂
😂😂😂
Luxury is that which is superfluous to necessity, yet enhances the enjoyment and quality of life.
After starting leather crafting only 8 months ago, and watching all of your videos, I have realized that the people I know are more interested in what I make than luxury brands. I am making simple totes with added features that my friends want, that they cannot purchase from a retailer. The goods that I produce are hand cut, hand stitched, and hand finished; they have flaws but are ridiculously durable and made with passion. I thank you for your ramblings about luxury and I preach the same to others whenever they will listen. I wish you a very good day and thank you for your time and knowledge.
I much prefer to contract unique things from artisans. I have leather goods crafted by an Amish craftsman, a ranch hand in Texas, a lovely woman in Baltimore etc I wouldn’t trade them for a big brand name item. Things made with genuine pride and passion shows in the details. Good luck with your endeavors.
Gods work
@@Just-Nikkiamen
The West Barnstable Brick Company was very important to all of MA. You can find bricks out in Springfield. For me, it's more about history. Today's "Luxury" brands use cheap labor, cheap parts and then sell it back to consumers at top dollar because their name is on it. No thank you. Why can you find a West Barnstable Brick still today? True quality. One of the reasons I enjoy watching you and what you put out to the world. We need more.
It is! I have an old farmhouse here on Cape and the foundation is WBB Bricks :)
Funny story, adjacent to this. I had a restoration job on a 1800's brick house. We got the right approval for the restoration of the North wall, we had 60% of the period correct bricks gathered from various other sources and we needed a 40% of new bricks, engineered to make up the base of the wall, to take up the load properly, on new material, so the house outlasts us all as well. Talks were had, with reputable names, quotes were had, discussions with our experts, their experts the state etc. Then the first batch arrives and i instantly noticed that after all that, AND the price, it's garbage. I knew the moment i saw them, i was convinced the moment i picked them up. More, discussions ensued, and finally their local CEO dropped by, because it's a big piece for them. And it basically boiled to "do you have the confidence to assert that your bricks are as good as these bricks made in the 1800's, possibly even earlier (taking material from one house for another, was common among even rich people of the time - some would even buy properties to acquire the materials to make a new house in another location. We've seen elements from churches into mansions, Roman componentry into early 1900's houses etc). He said yes, which was a foolish thing to do, because ... we basically proceeded to use one of the old bricks on standby to break and chip apart these new bricks. TLDR: they can't even make bricks properly anymore.
Also reminds me of that time when Jay Leno shamed a company that was still around in name, to make him a car component their forefathers made, when they said "we're sorry, we don't make this anymore".
Unless you shame them directly or take them to court, they will not make good products and will try to gip you even when big money is in play.
Man, you're a deep thinker... It's becoming a rare trait, so I appreciate your... "discussion" videos like this. Good stuff.
Luxury to me means quality materials, R&D, process, care and skilled labor.
A lot of time goes into those things, which is our most valuable commodity.
We've had a stone with a cover made of crocheted red yarn as a door stop for many years now. Luxurious doorstop owners of the world unite.
Luxury, is me, a man who has a wife and kid, has the time to watch a video of a man who also takes pride in his specific trade, to help show the world that the act of refining their trade (no matter what it is), is the key to finding an enriched life. That's a blessing.
Religious or not, my definition of luxury is essentially someone who is blessed enough to partake in things that are outside of meeting their immediate common needs. There's far more luxury in today's society than we acknowledge.
I like antiques. They are luxury to me but young people and relatives think they are fugly just because they are quite old. But I like stuff that withstood the test of time and has retained its craftmanship.
My first (and only serious) leatherwork project was to stitch a leather cover onto my bicycle handlebars. I had simply gotten tired of how the standard, spiral wrapped tape never stayed in place. So, I cut strips of leather wide enough to wrap around the bars. I had to guess as to how much the leather would stretch once the stitches were pulled tight. I soaked the strips in water, punched holes with an awl as I went (so the hole pattern would account for the curves of the handlebars), and had to completely invent my own stitch pattern so the seam would lay flat (because I could find no info on that, back in 1988).
I got compliments everywhere I went.
I had the "luxury" of knowing enough to figure out how to do what I wanted, on my first try. Then I had the "luxury" of the additional comfort and gripability of my handlebars. And I had the "luxury" of not needing to bother with those crappy handlebar tapes for the over ten years that I had that bike.
I'm a lot of ways, the most "luxurious" things that I have ever owned are things that I have been able to EXACTLY the way I want them to be.
This video is saying what I’ve thought about since I first started using your videos to help with my leather craft. You can buy a $400 handbag from a craftsman that is better quality and can look nicer than a $2,000 from a big label
Luxus ist für mich zu lernen. Mir Zeit zu nehmen bis meine Hände die Fähigkeiten haben z.B. die Naht so gleichmäßig zu nähen wie ich es möchte. Luxus ist für mich, wenn ich Einzelstücke fertigen kann. Die genau so für die Person angepasst sind die es bekommt möchte. In die Gerberei zu fahren und mir die Häute vor Ort aussuchen zu können. Luxus ist Zeit! Luxus ist für mich wenn ich mir gutes Werkzeug kaufen kann das zu mir passt. Luxus ist wenn dieses und andere Handwerke nicht aussterben. Luxus ist das Gefühl wenn ich mit meinen Händen etwas schönes geschaffen habe. Und wenn ich gebrauchte Kleidung kaufen kann die mal teuer war, ist es prima, nur kein Luxus oder Status. Danke für Deine Videos und das Du uns an Deinen Gedanken teilhaben lässt. Fröhliche Grüße aus Deutschland
I liked your point about how now that everything has been mass manufactured, the human element itself has become luxury. So an example could be “hand-stitched” or just the word “handmade” on an item. Its also interesting to see this same exact thing on items from long ago. I have an axe that says “hand-hammered” that must be 100 years old. So even back then, the idea of a tool being forged by a human hand was captivating.
I don’t wanna promo my own art, I’m not even comfortable w sharing it, but I’ve had this concept art, just plastering a face on top of a bag and labeling it as “dirt cheap” just to highlight the self fallaciating nature of “designer” products. Another artist on Instagram who works with mixed media absurdism uses the monicker of “pure designer pain” which I absolutely love. Keep up the great work, I’m happy I found this channel.
That would be fantastic! A line of expensive items all with the "Dirt Cheap" branding over it. lol You might attract some high rollers.
Designer bags are the biggest scam - it's just all marketing and magazine advertisements. You could buy an Italian sectional sofa for the same price as a handbag.
I think most luxury brands become so due to their quality, but at some point they start to monetize their luxury status and that's when quality starts to drop. Eventually they're selling exclusivity.
In many cases that’s true but a lot of brands skipped the whole quality part and went for limitability such as supreme who sold $5 tshirts for $120 since the very beginning.
Some people (too many people) are famous just because they're famous. The same works for brands. There's a sucker born every minute, and we're the suckers... until we learn to move beyond that.
LV has always used canvas and they have a great backstory. people care about brand recognition and history.
Love this! As someone who has had the luxury to learn the craft of stained glass, I can totally relate. I compete with cheaply built low quality works while doing my best to learn and preserve the classical methods that produce works that will stand the test of time. There really is a difference under it all and love how you help tell teat story. Let me know when you want to collaborate on a stained glass purse 🙂
For me luxury is restoring beautiful old hand tools to make beautiful new objects. Great video!
you are right on the money with luxury is time. time is the one resource that truly limits us as living beings.
My mother used to work in sales for a handmade quality leather goods company that has since gone out of business. After working there for some time and seeing what *actual* leatherwork looked like, she explained to me how most luxury leather goods brands like LV, Coach, etc are basically plastic pieces glued together with maybe a minimal fraction of actual leather material.
i feel that way about my handknit sweaters! also nothing tends to fit me so it's nice to knit something that 100% fits me hah. i've had people beg me to knit them the same sweaters, even with commission, but honestly it would be so time-consuming that i'd have to charge something like $500 lol and even then i wouldn't really want to do it. i think that was probably a moment for some people that unless they themselves learn how to knit, they may never get something like that _ever_, and that makes it insanely exclusive.
My first ever project was replacing an old leather strap & buckle on an antique rifle. Time had worn this poor thing to pieces but I remade it, took my time, and it looked terrible when it was done. But I was and still am proud of that piece. To me, that feeling of pride and accomplishment is a true luxury.
So so nice, so funny, so beautiful. From a woman who worked in Haute Couture and love every items made by human hands and skills, whatever the domain is. Industrial items speak about money, hand made items speak about life, love and dedication.
Luxury for me is having time to grow food, mill grain for bread and stocking our pantries and freezers with food I preserved because my husband works hard so that I have the freedom to do those things. My time is mine and I don’t take that for granted.
This is ansolutely genius and a true work of art. This belongs in a museum. I'm not being facesious.
I wanna thank you for making videos to show how it’s possible for everyone to make something. I fixed my keyboard wrist rest with some leather from a local show, I pulled it apart and rewrappd the pad.
I've not tried my hand at leatherwork but it's clear even to me that you make beautiful and rugged pieces.
I knit, the only person in my family to still do so. I consider it a luxury, to take this skill my Grandmothers passed down to me, and spend weeks of my free time making something to keep the newest baby in the family warm.
I feel you wholeheartedly… I am a portrait artist and struggle with the astronomical prices of garbage art that is nothing more than thrown paint on a canvas… this helps put it all in perspective. You definitely earned a follow here brother.
I want you to know that I watch Everything you post, and I genuinely see and feel the passion you have for this beautiful craft. There is no other creators on this platform that can provide the knowledge in the way you provide it, these videos are more than valuable to me, Thank you, Genuinely. I hope to do the same for many others in the near and distant future.
Thank you. I really needed to hear those words of wisdom. I've been having a hard time trying to find my own identity with my leather crafting. I felt that is what everybody wanted was a overly priced, low quality name brand product. Thanks again for this video.
9:15 i love it. As someone who works with bricks and old building materials (house restoration), i have my fair share of "door stops" even a few desktop items. That said, i can tell, just by looking that this is a quality brick. A far cry from top quality bricks today.
Both videos are a great explanation of how we are in control of our decisions! I would rather have one of your bags, Then a LV
Luxury should mean quality materials, long lasting, craftmanship, Unique designs.
I think this is cool. Btw i like the vibe of your latest videos 😁
I take handmade over brand every time. I have some classic name brand bags and leather goods bought second-hand over time, but my favorites are the handmade ones bought from a highly skilled friend. I love your doorstop!
The brick idea.. just amazing! Where has this hobby been my entire life... ❤
How neat is that. A story holding your door open.
Probably my favorite video of yours that I've seen, and I've watched a lot of them over the past few years. Thanks for what you do.
I do believe time is what luxury is. As one who makes bespoke costume items, there is more skill in something I and we do, than in any piece of wallet or handbag. We, being very just middle class, sent our kids to a high end private school, but i was making very high quality items for our kids, things the children of the very wealthy parents could not make - they either didnt have the time or skill, or both as it turns out. WHile they lived in big houses, and drove fancy cars, their friends wanted the coat they had, or the merch branded copy costume on book day I made myself. What parents didnt understand is that often these items took weeks each to make. There was a quality in these items that was not in the off the internet bought items. Yes - time is what makes something valuable.
Now my mrs can be safe on a night out
I hate living in this world where people expect women to learn how to defend themselves because they don't think they can expect men to be taught to stop hurting women.
😂
also, that brick-purse is a piece of art, in every sense of the words. it's dadaist and belongs in museums.
but also belongs in front of doors! because art belongs in our lives.
Just a wonderful video and full of food for thought. I love your reflections on the modern time and the lack of manual knowledge. That is why I love to do leather work. Cause not everyone have the knowledge and it needs to be continued. Also love your videos and patterns.
That is the most beautiful doorstop I have ever seen!
your voice and your voice over is relaxing. great content!
The storytelling, the message, the RESULT?! Amazing all around!
Thanks!
“The human element will become luxury…” I needed to hear that !
In the context of both your interpretation and the world of consumer goods, "Luxury" can be distilled down to this: when presented with two or more options to a choice, you have the ability to choose. most often, the chosen option is the one with "more", be that cost, options, recognition, or quality. unfortunately, the majority of the time, "luxury goods" aren't chosen for their own merits, but rather for the perception those merits cast onto the owner. This topic then is relevant to your previous video regarding counterfeits, which only convey the appearance of being able to choose.
Love your doorstopper idea! Going to find myself an old brick!
Your leather crafting is admirable and an inspiration to many. Thank you!
Excellent video and thank you❤. This is my second video of yours to watch. The first video I saw was just snip its of it on another channel which led me to yours. I love your work, outlook and views.
Someone once asked me what the difference in vintage and modern glass marbles are and I said it just comes down to what was hand made and what was mass produced. I'd absolutely love to wear vintage marble earrings over diamond earrings. I like the idea of luxury as something we can't find easy or something that takes time to make. Time is the real luxury.
Now I need a handle for one of my hometown bricks. I have a bunch of bricks, given to me by my dad, that were made in my hometown. Some have been used in walkways, some are stored. I think I need a nice handle to use one for a doorstop. I certainly have a need for that as crosswinds blows doors shut when 2 windows are open. As a crafter of jewelry, and quilts, I too have the luxury of creating. I usually gift a quilt for wedding and births. Jewelry is sometimes a bridal gift. Selling can be challenging because not all understand the time and skill involved. This didn't come from China via Walmart. Thanks for sharing. Beautiful thoughts along with the end product.
I have a brick with my name on it. In northern Minnesota the train track and little depot sat on our farm going to Duluth and Lake Superior. That long before I was born. We would find all kinds of neat items. I kept one brick for myself. It have gone all over the US. I would love to have it transformed like you did. Amazing work. 😊
Great talking point! A conversation you can't have with people who don't have a craft. Thanks
I agree with you entirely, you make the best videos on leather work.
I think that is absolutely true! That is also a really pretty brick (my regular job and whole life has been in residential construction)!
Truth. Rich. Beauty. Style. Original. Pure Luxury ❤ Congratulations.
I agree with you 100%! So far I have refused to buy LV pieces, but if I saw one for cheap on 2nd hand market I would snag it. I think other brands are superior quality for a fraction of the cost. For example the Dooney & Bourke Florentine line line is made of 100% veg tanned leather from Italy for a fraction of the price of a LV canvas bag. Coach 1941 line is not a bad product for the price. They are not so expensive that I wouldn't modify them to meet my needs. You have great craftmanship. The brick door stop is way cool!! TFS
I think agree, the time to learn and make something that is unique is luxury. Just as I love my backpack that took me 1 month to make, it's cheap (only 20-30 Dollars in materials) but the time and thought out into it makes it a thing that is worth so much more that it's materials.
I love this video and your monologue. It is so spot on. 🎉 Thank you.
Really interesting point of view. I’m not sure it’s generation thing or not, but it seems like the value and perspective of luxury have changed over the years. Thanks for the video. You are a great inspiration of my leather craft.
I think you have made the most luxurious door stop on the East Coast. You leather skills are (and have been) top notch. Your ideas are slightly on and off the beaten path. That is a good thing. If I had a brick that was made last century, I might feel the need to 'luxurisize it'. I think I will look up the brick comany's history. I do know that automated brick manufacters were responsible for better homes. Fire resistant. Faster and cheaper to build. Thanks Eric. (where did you get the strap cutter? I hate my wood one.)
I love your sense of humor! Stay awesome!
As a retired engineer starting to explore the arts again working in stone, I found this inspiring.
Luxury is growing a taste for resource expendeture, rather than growing a taste for minimizing resource expenditure.
You end up less happy because your goals aim for inefficency. If you had grown a taste for something as strongly as have for a luxury peice, you would be happier because it wouldnt require you too use way more resources than would otherwise be needed if opperating towards efficency.
People only coloqueally call something luxury if it requires meaningfully more resources to get it than similiar things.
Your video changed the direction of my day. Thank you for this.
An accurate articulation of where many crafters arrive. I often ask prospective clients "Name an item you own along with the person who crafted it." When they cannot, I simply assert they don't understand *High Luxury*. It's a person or group intimately committed to craftmanship, because it's who they are. It's their identity. They're on a path pursuing idealized perfection and growth. Design houses forgo the very nature of artisanal crafters when they negate creative expression for corporate gain and brand recognition. If any of them cared about developing growth they'd include the crafters name below the brand logo. Something like: Louis Vuitton via Joe Smith. Not only does this encourage individual development, but it encourages competition ultimately arriving at better products. Sadly, design houses are only interested in margin and brand leverage. I've long been at the point where I regard major design houses as mediocre pretenders. Now and again I wander inside to see what designs are trending,..but there's no genuine respect.
Thanks for the chat Eric. 🥃
I like high end low production cars. The builder of the hand built engine stamps his name on it.
I agree a person making his or her project is a artist.
Great project. And I enjoyed your philosophical musings
Thank you for demonstrating luxury, but most importantly American made luxury
I must say, this was a really well thought out message.
On the topic of wrapping rocks, as an Argentinian, I would love to see you making some luxury bolas (or boleadoras). Extra points if you use some of that LV leather or the blue alligator from Hermes.
Blue Alligator Scrotum Bolas, now that's luxury!
Great point and perspective...so true! Thanks for the magnificent video. 😄
What a beautiful narration, I enjoyed... Thank you
My antique red brick doorstop comes from Augusta Georgia and was salvaged from one of many original red brick streets there.
Yes! send that to the MFA as an art installation. perfect.
I swear you need to out a tool list on all your videos.
What on earth is that small strap cutter?!?!
It's so diddy and cute!
My particular recycling style manifests as an idea to saw a half inch facing off the brick, reinforce by gluing to 1/4” wood, then build working purse around that…
4:55 ❤ on point!
Great video - love your louis brickton design. Excellent crafting skill.
To be honest... Im 💯 on board with you. I have the luxury to look at "luxury brands" at the store and see the garbage Stitching and cheap materials and know I can go home and make a better quality product that my kids and possibly grandkids could use. Of course this I have come to understand is a rarity and not many have the skills. It can also be a curse knowing that these companies are getting crazy money for garbage.
Impressive talk. Thank you for your words, and craft.
Sending this to a good freind of mine with a passion for artistanship. You got this Charl
Beautiful Commentary, and beautiful work
love this doorstop, well done sir!
You have a captivating outlook,
You are a interesting person 😊
And hence after occasionally seeing items handmade... I decided I won't really go for luxury brand instead a very good quality handmade one. The one that truly uses good quality and workmanship.
What you are saying in the beginning of the video, about those brands customers’ target, is the absolute truth. They don’t want to sell to rich people, they are selling illusions to normal people
Very well done. I feel just a tiny bit prouder of my novice skills. Thank you.
The most important commodity any of us has is time, so using a lot of that to create something is one of the things that makes something a luxury. But clearly, the word has multiple definitions, cost and rarity are two further metrics.
I think luxury is subjective, someone affording the best they can afford is a luxury to them but for the next guy that thing may be mediocre. I'd prefer to think in terms of quality rather than "luxury" because past a certain level you are just paying for branding not necessarily quality as you rightly pointed out.
Love the videos as always man
What a great storyteller
Great work, thank you for sharing your skill along with your "words of wisdom"
Love this and especially loved the story. And yes I had the luxury to listen to it. ❤
Those are some very interesting thoughts. Unfortunately (for me), I was distracted by the carry handle you made. That's the kind of quality we used to be able to find on high priced leather h goods. It's a shame such quality isn't readily available anymore.
Brilliant. Luxury is hand made by willing artisans of the age of majority. It is enduring quality that doesn’t short-change the environment in pursuit of profit or being first to market. Luxury is at many price points and makes you feel special.
Very Beautiful!! I came across your chanel I really enjoy watching your very creative
Staying rich isn’t about not spending the money (realise that was in jest). I do spend money, and do still wear brands like Loro Piana which fit into the middle class end, but only buy the fabric. Everything’s made bespoke - Saville Row, no brands, no one knows what I’m wearing. There’s nothing more distasteful to me than wearing a brand but I appreciate that’s just an opinion and love that everyone gets to have their own style/ expression.
Luxury is my opinion a tax term for importation of goods, we tend to call Luxury items foreign brands, we don't consider coach or ralph lauren Luxury. I do but in our popular culture it's always foreign imports.