In music as in fashion there are many voices which argue that the Old Way is so much more authentic and original than the New Way. It is a sort of nostalgia for the past and the way it was that reminds me of the Woody Allen film 'Midnight In Paris'.
Interestingly though, a friend passed on an interview with Giorgio Moroder on his collaboration with Daft Punk. Moroder is considered to have revolutionised electronic music with his contribution to the song 'I Feel Love' by Donna Summer and subsequent work in this field. The song is brilliant and if you ever were a dj playing to a crowd, you will know that it can send your audience into a trance like state (though you can't play it too early on in the evening, you have to wait for certain things to kick in).
In the interview with Moroder he makes a point which I think is often looked over by those that are nostalgic for hand-made, hand-printed, live gigs, vinyl music, hand-cut, tailor made, hand-sewn and hand-drawn; namely that the advent of digital technologies meant that anyone with a passion and love for music could have a chance at applying themselves to a craft without all the necessary requirements that might have been needed previously. As Moroder says in the interview "I like digital because it's so much easier, whoever has a little bit of talent and some passion can do great music while twenty thirty years ago it was much more difficult".
The same can be said of menswear. My usual cutter for our silks has been ill for some time and so accordingly I have been doing the majority of our cutting for some weeks. A rather large wholesale order of 80 bow ties in one fabric came through and so I was forced to look for alternative ways to cut the order. In my pursuit of a faster means I approached a digital cutting specialist with a plotter and flat bed cutting table. It was something we had never done before, at best we had only ever needed the services of a flat table and rotary blade. Suddenly I was in front of one of my patterns being translated into a digital drawing, no different to the way we design silks. It was laid out across a flat bed table and not long after my work was cut perfectly with very few imperfections, better than my best cutter on his best day.
I applaud and revere those that continue to work by hand and with passion, but there is an argument for the wonderful nature of everything digital has contributed to both our work flow and our production capabilities. There's still no chance anyone can sew one of our bows together with a robot, a human hand is still a necessity. The same can be said for roll stitching a pocket square. But to those who have merged the talents of one with another, who bring together the best of both worlds, I take my hat off to you. You lot are the Giorgio Moroders of your time.
Interestingly though, a friend passed on an interview with Giorgio Moroder on his collaboration with Daft Punk. Moroder is considered to have revolutionised electronic music with his contribution to the song 'I Feel Love' by Donna Summer and subsequent work in this field. The song is brilliant and if you ever were a dj playing to a crowd, you will know that it can send your audience into a trance like state (though you can't play it too early on in the evening, you have to wait for certain things to kick in).
In the interview with Moroder he makes a point which I think is often looked over by those that are nostalgic for hand-made, hand-printed, live gigs, vinyl music, hand-cut, tailor made, hand-sewn and hand-drawn; namely that the advent of digital technologies meant that anyone with a passion and love for music could have a chance at applying themselves to a craft without all the necessary requirements that might have been needed previously. As Moroder says in the interview "I like digital because it's so much easier, whoever has a little bit of talent and some passion can do great music while twenty thirty years ago it was much more difficult".
The same can be said of menswear. My usual cutter for our silks has been ill for some time and so accordingly I have been doing the majority of our cutting for some weeks. A rather large wholesale order of 80 bow ties in one fabric came through and so I was forced to look for alternative ways to cut the order. In my pursuit of a faster means I approached a digital cutting specialist with a plotter and flat bed cutting table. It was something we had never done before, at best we had only ever needed the services of a flat table and rotary blade. Suddenly I was in front of one of my patterns being translated into a digital drawing, no different to the way we design silks. It was laid out across a flat bed table and not long after my work was cut perfectly with very few imperfections, better than my best cutter on his best day.
I applaud and revere those that continue to work by hand and with passion, but there is an argument for the wonderful nature of everything digital has contributed to both our work flow and our production capabilities. There's still no chance anyone can sew one of our bows together with a robot, a human hand is still a necessity. The same can be said for roll stitching a pocket square. But to those who have merged the talents of one with another, who bring together the best of both worlds, I take my hat off to you. You lot are the Giorgio Moroders of your time.
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