The golden age of glass. How did transparency become a symbol of strength, freedom and sensuality?

In recent years, production has accelerated to a pace unattainable by human hands, and something has begun to change. Amidst a sea of identical shoes, identical handbags and minimalist interiors produced en masse, a desire for something completely different emerged. Something that is pleasant to the touch, has a scent and bears the mark of the person who created it. This is how the great comeback of craftsmanship began. Today, luxury does not have to shine. It has to mean something and remain in the memory.

Luxury that takes its time

From Florence to Kyoto, from small workshops in Brittany to artisan studios in New York, we are witnessing a renaissance of manual labour. What was once considered a relic of the past is now returning as the purest form of luxury. This is no coincidence. Today’s premium customers are no longer just looking for beauty – they are looking for meaning.

A hand-stitched leather briefcase, shoes from a shoemaker who knows every curve of your foot, or a table made of oak that has been aged for 120 years – these things don’t just look different. They tell a story. About time. About values. About people.

Hermès, Berluti, Loewe – craftsmanship as a brand strategy

The great luxury houses noticed this shift long ago. Hermès has not only never abandoned manual production, but has made it part of its identity. Today, you can sign up for saddlery workshops organised in their atelier to experience the precision and humility required to sew a single strap.

Berluti, which specialises in men’s footwear, offers shoe patination tailored to the customer’s personality. Each pair can smell like whisky, be coloured like walnut wood or take on depth with age.

Loewe, on the other hand, is refreshing Spanish traditions in the most fashionable way possible. Their collections feature hand-woven fabrics, local materials and heritage that has been taken straight from museums to the catwalk.

21st-century craftsmanship – back to the future

Interestingly, the new luxury is not about replicating old methods. The master craftsmen of the future are turning to new materials, sustainable technologies and an eco-friendly approach. In Japan, kitchen knives are being made that combine Damascus steel with materials recovered from Tokyo’s railways. In Amsterdam, young designers are creating furniture from a combination of natural felt, copper and clay, drawing on designs from the Bauhaus era.

Today, craftsmanship is not just about a return to handicrafts. It is about a new narrative. It is a product that is created slowly, with thought and intention – and that is why it has a value greater than the sum of its parts.

Why does craftsmanship move us?

In an age of excess and constant ‘more’, emotions are returning as a scarce commodity. And craftsmanship is emotion encapsulated in form. Fingerprints on ceramics, microscopic asymmetries in seams, irregularities in the texture of leather – all these things restore humanity to an object. And to the buyer – the intimacy of contact.

It is not without reason that people today say that luxury has a scent. It is the scent of oiled wood, vegetable-tanned leather, freshly forged steel. A customer who enters the workshop of a true master will never forget the experience. Because in a world full of screens, authenticity is like oxygen.

Brands that are creating a new alphabet of luxury

Alongside giants such as Hermès and Berluti, new names are emerging. Studio Ruuger creates umbrellas that look like Gothic sculptures. Valextra creates custom-made handbags designed by architects. Métier London sews travel bags inspired by archaeology and cartography, with hidden pockets and notebooks like those from the 19th century.

This trend is also growing in Poland. Workshops such as Balagan, Kaletnictwo Artystyczne Ochnika, and artisan furniture brands from Podlasie and Małopolska are beginning to gain recognition from customers who previously only bought abroad.

Time as a currency of luxury

There is no luxury without time. In craftsmanship, this is an absolute rule. It takes weeks to sew a pair of shoes. It takes months to make jewellery. It can take many months to make a solid wood table that will serve for generations.