Bespoke is a great word. The dictionary defines it as "Made for a particular customer or user."
It sounds so much more exclusive than "custom".
Occasionally, I see things on the internet, within a short period of time and my mind connects them. The first one I saw was on a bag makers' forum, where someone thought that putting a metal tag on a bag that says "Handmade" looked unprofessional.
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Just like this. Now you can guess my opinion. I think that shiny hardware makes a bag look rather polished. This is my Flora bag, a bespoke bag for one of my dear ones. I imagine most people don't actually get close enough to read the tag.
Then I saw something about the price of a Hermes Birkin Bag. Apparently some people are willing to pay $250,000 for a leather tote bag, with shiny hardware. It boggles my mind. I love a nice handbag, own quite a few, but really? I was further shocked to discover that the bag has a couple of slip pockets inside, and is otherwise a big open space. You have to buy other bags to put inside in order to be able to find your stuff in the bag. There was mention made of the bag being "aspirational".
The next article I saw was why one should never buy a counterfeit designer bag. It made all sorts of interesting claims for why, including basically that it devalues the "real" designer bags.
Which lead me off to the whole idea of bespoke. I have been asked if I could make someone a bag. My answer is always "You can't afford it." This largely comes from knowing that people are not even willing to pay minimum wage for my time in making the bag. One of my "bespoke" bags takes probably 10 to 15 hours to cut, fuse and sew. That means that the bag should cost at least $150 plus materials. Someone who is asking is expecting to pay under $50. Many makers undervalue their goods because they just want to sell that bag. However, they aren't really paying themselves for their unique creations.
My mind is still whirling at the amount of profit a $250,000 bag must make for the corporate body whose name is on the bag. Some of these bags could stand to be "devalued" I'll continue to support makers, I like knowing who made my item. Why would someone want an expensive bag that is the same as hundreds of other expensive bags?
A couple of weeks ago, my sweetie surprised me with this pendant. It came from a jewelry maker that he saw featuring her work online and decided that I would enjoy it. He was right. It is perfectly imperfect, like all good handmade items are.
Meanwhile, I finished my socks.
One pair of big socks and one pair of baby socks.
I am also making progress on my latest "bespoke" bag. The recipient choose the fabric and the cork.
This is the back and the flap. It is pretty wild. Of course, the mess on the table doesn't help. The lining is much calmer. The bag is actually nearly finished but I am behind on photos.
If all goes as planned I will have a couple more finishes in a couple of days.
Spending such a sum on what is basically a glorified tote makes one's eyes water, doesn't it? Your Flora bag is lovely, and the kitty bag will be fun.....and of course, bespoke socks too!
ReplyDeleteA long while ago, a friend and I were invited to another "friend's" home for morning tea.She had a rag rug on the floor, and the tassels were crooked, so I straightened one, very carefully..I was chastised, in a very stern manner. " Do not touch my mat, that is a bespoke one made by my father " !!! Needless to say, my friend and I didn't visit there again. My bags are also bespoke, when made for special friends. Love your, the socks too.the next one in the production line is sure to be a winner.
ReplyDeleteBespoke is definitely much better than custom I agree. When we used to go to Spain in the winter the markets were always full of 'designer' bags and people would go around looking for a specific big name. Which made me laugh because the bags come without tags and the stall holder adds which ever tag he fancies. I was always far more interested in the beautiful artisan made leather bags which you could find if you searched hard enough.
ReplyDeletePretty pendant and someone is going to have a lot of fun with that bag. xx
So much food for thought in this post, Kate. I love your new bag, and I agree it's very hard to be paid fairly for all the hours it takes to make it. My other thought about those outrageously priced 'designer' bags is that there is a huge difference between 'fairly paid' and the $250,000 designer bag price tag. People who are willing to pay $250,000 on a tote bag should be ashamed of themselves when there are people starving in this world. Imagine the good that could be done with that much money.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the designer bags, and on the challenge of having ones work devalued. I make art quilts, and sell them in an annual local art/fine craft show and sale. Because I work in fabric, over the years I've had all sorts of comments made to me that wouldn't have been made to the painter -- or perhaps even the potter -- a few booths down! I've even had a couple of people want to barter or dicker about the price of my work. As for local Farmers' Markets...I've encountered yarn-crafters who are challenged to price their work because someone down the way is selling something similar at a much lower price because "it's just a hobby". Sigh...
ReplyDeleteThe big and the small socks are a dream :-) ahhh.
ReplyDeleteThe bag will be great... love the fun designs.
Have fun completing it.
Sunday greetings from Viola