Modern Craftsmanship

The words craft and craftsmanship can often bring up mixed feelings, either that of an elitist club open to only those who have the financial access to enjoy. Or a cottage industry, marred with questionable quality, often lacking in modernity and any kind of desirability.

For me, craftsmanship should stand for something high quality, beautifully unique and with a compelling provenance that preserves local jobs and saves essential skills.

Enter stage left; Matthieu Blazy for Bottega Veneta.

Another outstanding collection, knee-deep in craftsmanship as you’d expect, with the right amount of bonkers, sitting alongside highly covetable and relatable pieces.

It demonstrates the importance of working with skilled and sensitive product merchandisers who don’t just paint by numbers, sucking the joy out of the brand with a formulaic product plan. But instead build a scalable and wide reaching business that still respects the human connection you get from working with artisanal products.

I believe the key role of a collection merchandiser is to build a framework for commercial success and allowing the creative director to do what they do best. Create.