The Work of the Hand

For a number of years, craftsmanship and products that are hand crafted and hand- made have been valorised and claimed by a number of luxury brands. For example, in 2011 Hermès signed their advertising with the slogan “Artisan contemporain”, Louis Vuitton provided private tours of their special order workshops for clients and developed an advertising campaign using portraits of its craftsmen and women1 (imitating the aesthetic of Dutch 17th century painting). In addition, a number of sectors of the industry propose a “bespoke” service. And quite some time ago, Chanel bought out a number of specialist artisans in the art professions, known for their level of excellence who were under serious threat.