craftsmanship
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Ebneter & Biel
For almost a century, a family-run business in St Moritz has embroidered napkins, tablecloths and bed linen. A personalised item can take up to a year, carefully stitched by a septegenarian seamstress.
Super modeller
From a childhood obsession with animal bones, Esben Horn has carved out a career creating detailed, large-scale models of bugs and beasts. Now his firm is sought-after around the globe.
Happy mendings
In a world of throwaway consumerism, tradesmen are giving cherished possessions a new lease of life. We visit a Milan cobbler who repairs brogues and a Buenos Aires luxury watch atelier.
Light bulb moment
Formerly a light bulb manufacturer, Shotoku began making hand-blown glassware in the 1950s. Today its ultra-thin Usuhari glasses are the toast of the town. And it still continues to innovate.
Home rescue
Appalled by the demolition of traditional houses in Japan’s Saga prefecture, New York restaurateur Mikio Shinagawa set about saving and restoring them, even selling one to Robert De Niro.
Brolly good
For 152 years, Maglia Francesco has been using the same methods to make exquisitely detailed umbrellas, passing the skills and the family traditions down through five generations.
Welcome home
From fashion to toys, outsourced production lines are closing as companies rediscover local industries. This shift brings benefits to individual companies and suggests that not every western nation must be a service economy.
A bicycle made for you
Monocle has tracked down the perfect bespoke bike, with good looks and clever details, lovingly made by a family-run firm.
Bag for life
For 50 years, Inujirushi has supplied robust canvas bags with leather trimmings, thriving on customer loyalty. Only recently has it opened a shop in Asakusa, the Tokyo neighbourhood it has always called home.
Abel García López
In Paracho, Mexico’s guitar-making capital, some luthiers battle cheap imports. A few, like Abel García López, draw on generations of knowledge to produce concert-quality instruments for the world's top virtuosos.
