October 2024

The Hart Silversmiths in Chpping Camden. To Have Something Made Here - Truest Form Of Luxury

Back in June, there was a news story about a Dior handbag reportedly produced for just $57 in Italy. According to the report, Italian authorities uncovered that the factory had allegedly removed safety features from machines to increase production speed, with workers reportedly sleeping on-site to maintain nearly round-the-clock hours. Many of these workers, in Italy illegally, were being exploited by a subcontractor Dior had engaged , an embarrassing oversight for all involved. Yet Dior’s recent financial report, showing a 2% profit growth, means the brand won’t feel the pinch. With profits in the billions, one can only imagine the comfort that brings its shareholders. As for the exploited workers, they, sadly, won’t be seeing any dividends from Dior’s soaring returns.

But this sort of scandal, of course, is nothing new. We’re all rather familiar with the commercial trick: buy cheaper, sell higher. Sadly, as Tat’s own accounting sheets will confirm, this isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Dior’s production line is hardly the first from the luxury world to face scrutiny. In Gomorrah – Italy’s Other Mafia, Roberto Saviano documents how high-end clothing production, often priced beyond the average middle-class wallet, is allegedly outsourced to sweatshops in Italy, where workers earn a pittance. One image that has lingered with me is Saviano’s account of the 2001 Oscars, when Angelina Jolie wore a sparkling white suit by Dolce & Gabbana. At home, a tearful tailor watched, knowing his hands had crafted that suit in the shadows of a clandestine workshop.

I remember thinking, “Well, at least that’s a thing of the past,” just as another diamond-dusted gown floated down the red carpet.

As much as I may scoff, I accept that capitalism is the necessary evil of our age, though I, personally, am a touch flummoxed as to what the alternative might be. Maybe, one day, braver and better minds than mine will set us on a fairer path. For now, I think we’re enduring what can only be described as peak capitalism. It’s a version of luxury so mercilessly hollow that it can scarcely survive without trampling the poor souls at the bottom of its gilded ladder. And it’s not just fashion, heavens, no! Interiors and all manner of industries have joined this tantalisingly apathetic club. But here’s the rub for me, and really the heart of my musings: luxury, in its truest form, is an investment, one that goes beyond mere resale value and squarely into craftsmanship, community, and the environment.

Take John Lobb Ltd., for example - that gem of a shop in St James’s. Much of the brand may now be in Hermès’ clutches, but the John Lobb Ltd. shop remains family-owned. Many moons ago, during a brief sojourn of work experience at The World of Interiors, I was sent to borrow a pair of shoes from them. The heavenly woman behind the counter led me downstairs to meet the cobblers themselves, men who had been there for years, each a master craftsman, brimming with quiet pride as they shaped some of the finest shoes in the world. To me, those shoes are the truest expression of luxury.

And yes, a pair of John Lobbs may cost a fortune, but one doesn’t have to break the bank for true luxury. This emotive luxury comes in many forms. At the weekend, I popped over to my parents’ and, as luck would have it, came across a local pottery show. Among the artists was Robin Walden, a potter with prices ranging from £15 to £300. His pieces were simply delightful, and I bought a mug for £30. It had journeyed from his Oxford studio to the sale, we met, I saw it, I fell for it, and I took it home. What could be more luxurious than that?

Each of us must set our own priorities when it comes to these purchases. Of course, I will continue to covet luxury items , sadly, I remain in thrall to the capitalist machine. But my priorities have shifted. Knowing the full story, from end to end, of how a piece is made now matters more to me than the name on the label. Perhaps it’s age, perhaps it’s the state of the world, or maybe it’s just my faint hope that one day we’ll find ourselves on a more even path than the one we seem so firmly set upon.

It’s a path luxury brands would do well to take heed of. These stories will, of course, continue to surface, and buyers will begin to feel hoodwinked. However beautiful a brand may look in stores, no one likes feeling like a fool. If these names are to continue to command lust and loyalty, then the bottom line must begin to encompass more than just finances. Because if shareholders and rich lists remain the only priority, these brands, matter how storied their heritage, will see a decline.

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