The Resurrection of Craftsmanship Through Technology
Constanza Landini and Rasha Alsalem
With the advent of the industrial age and the new technologies it brought with it, craftsmanship began to decline. It didn’t go down without a fight however, and the Arts and Crafts Movement was launched. Inspired by John Ruskin and William Morris, it advocated for a return to more traditional handmade crafts and design.
Although technological advancements — which increased economies of scale and created a mass market for goods — spelled doom for craftsmen in the 19th and 20th centuries, it has ironically been technology that has rejuvenated the field in recent years. Technology has made it easier for craftsman to reach a broader audience of customers, both in its ability to deliver goods across borders and distances and through the increasing number of digital platforms.
Etsy, an online marketplace created to “fill a need for an online community where crafters, artists and makers could sell their handmade and vintage goods and craft supplies” boasts impressive figures: almost two million sellers and 26 million buyers from over 180 countries and 2.39 billion dollars in annual gross merchandise sales in 2015 alone. Moreover, to become a seller on Etsy, you have to abide by a strict policy that prioritizes the unique qualities of your product.
Technological platforms such as Instagram have likewise changed the rules of the game, and in Saudi Arabia, even the rules and nature of commerce. Women, unable to sell goods in the traditional marketplace due to strict gender laws, took to Instagram. From the comforts of their home, they baked elaborate cakes, sowed handwoven singular caftans, and launched alt fashion brands. The practice of selling goods through Instagram become so popular, the Ministry of Commerce is beginning to verify Instagram businesses so buyers can be guaranteed a secure and safe financial transaction.
What has arguably emerged in Saudi Arabia from the bottom-up, has instead been a top-down policy in Italy, meant to incentivize craftsmanship as a way to spur economic growth after the economic crisis. The Italian Ministry of Economic Development launched a national competition awarding subsidies to craftsmen willing to collaborate, aimed at increasing sustainability while increasing digital knowhow. Initiatives like these could be the seeds of an economic revolution in a country where almost half a million enterprises are in the artisanship sector and more than 1.7 million are employed by it.
Startups have also been bitten by the artisanal bug. Artigianato Digitale, for example, aims to spread Italian creativity abroad by combining traditional craftsmanship with modern software. The potential impact that a resurgence of craftsmanship may have on the national economy cannot be understated. Tailoring high school programs to promote craftsmanship and investing in the field can reawaken a previously dormant sector of the Italian economy. The president of the Italian Business Association agrees, urging the digitalization of small businesses to promote traditional artisanal quality to a wider international market.
All of this is only bolstered by the fact that craftsmanship is sexy again. New technologies have only better connected producers and consumers but it may be the demand for one-of-a-kind products that is making craftsmanship come back in vogue. Add to this the increasing trendiness of environmentally-conscience labels and social responsibility, and you get the perfect recipe for a resurgence of artisanship.
Artisan products have narratives attached to them and those narratives are highly curated to present a socially conscious and “authentic” — whatever that may mean — picture. I’m not just wearing any sandal, I’m wearing artisan-made sandals whose profits went to funding Ugandan women’s college education.
You may hear a similar statement while at a pop-up cafe, sipping your fair trade coffee while lamenting over technology, as you browse Instagram for the latest artisanal mason jar.
