Artisan resurgence

Craftsmanship: tradition with history

The art of creating products by hand goes back to times immemorial in the history of mankind. Craftsmanship has been one of the practices of the most ancient civilizations which stand to the present day. And for good reason, since the dexterity of artists with their hands when they weave a poncho, hone a knife or make a mate is simply unique. Craftsmanship is pure skill.

This custom rooted in our genes proceeds from the oldest and most impressive civilizations. The custom was passed down from mother to daughter, from father to son, from family to family and generation to generation, always preserving the artisanal essence in the inner circle. That is how a continent as rich in culture as the American continent was able to provide the finest products throughout its history to those who desired them. 

The beginning of industrial products

With technological progress over the last centuries, this artisanal practice began to be lost. Since the creation of the famous steam engine during the Industrial Revolution, the ritual of producing significant goods with one’s own hands began to be left aside. Other attributes began to be exalted in the products, such as mass production, repetition and speed, since these allowed for more consumption at lower prices. Gradually quality was sacrificed to the production of larger quantities.

Decades and centuries later the industrial process took shape until it became the primary means of production. Nowadays, most goods produced worldwide are industrial. Human participation is scarce and almost nonexistent. Everything is carried out automatically by machines, leaving aside handicraft which had such an impact in the history of humanity. 

Millennial loss

With this change, not only is a millennial practice lost; much more than that. There’s a ritual where the artist becomes “one” with his product, where the product is part of the identity of its creator. With the artisan, the product is not alienated from him, but he is compromised with it. Because this is not a simple good created by the artisan, it was always a lot more. Every poncho, every mate, every knife holds a piece of the life of his creator. It holds stories, wars, loves and betrayals. It holds civilizations, kings, queens and gauchos. There’s a written trajectory behind this precious work. It is not simply a product for consumption, but a means of communication, a reserve of history.

Artisanal revitalization

But during the last few decades there has been a change in the awareness of the collective mind. Ecological and natural movements have started to arise in the midst of the voice of people looking for a better quality of life. People, tired of a superfluous and materialistic life, have gradually started once more to seek out the roots of mankind.

Ever more the different brands offer artisanal goods to satisfy this new need among their customers. The important companies look for native artisans in all corners of the world and those sublime artists search through their work to offer products of the finest quality.

Thus we trust that gradually the artisan is once more coming to the fore on the stage of world production. It is no longer a glimmer of something almost forgotten in the course of history as it was these last few years, but rather their original goods are once more in demand throughout the world. But above all, they themselves are once more admired for their eminent dexterity as in days of yore.