I’ve just read in an article by Charo Mora about Jeanne Lanvin and how the latter started working in the fashion world as an “arpette”, i.e., an apprentice in charge of collecting the pins at couture ateliers. I am not about to use this example to talk now about how the designers of the 21st century should learn their craft, but it does help me to put on the table one of the major problems that the Spanish textile sector currently faces: a lack of craftsmanship. This was mentioned to me a few days ago by Sybilla, who is obsessed with finding professionals that have mastered the crafts of sewing, embroidery, pattern-making … And it was brought to my attention some time ago at DelPozo, where they’ve been forced to hire pattern-makers beyond our borders.
When one of the most egregious problems our country has is unemployment, this sector has enormous potential to generate employment, and quality employment. These specialized crafts are a very important part of the “culture” of product development, essential to compete with distinction (and not in prices). Guaranteeing them carries with it competitive logic, not only in creating jobs. The knowledge that was passed down from parent to child or that was learned in the workshops, where work began at an early age, is no longer the way in which young people acquire the skills of the trade. And by saying that I don’t intend to go backwards, seeking to enlist teenagers to pick up pins from the floor as the great Mme. Lanvin did. But the problem is that right now, if a luxury fashion company wants to hire an expert embroiderer, it is likely they might have to search abroad. In Switzerland, for example.
The boys and girls that complete their professional training with a degree related to the textile sector obviously lack the necessary experience, and it is very difficult for them to obtain it as there are few places where they can become acquainted with it. This is where we find ourselves. Therefore, everyone involved in the issue should think -and act- to improve the education of our youth, and, over time, the great French, English, American or Italian ateliers may come to our country to find the best petites mains in the world. We’ll have to start picking up pins…At ACME, we are applying ourselves to it.
