Quality

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Good Enough?

September 4, 2009 in Wren by wendren | 3 comments

In so many ways the world is now a frightening place. Time seems to disappear and before you know it is is already September. The relationships we have with each other have changed and so have our values. I read this article by Robert Capps called the ‘Good Enough Revolution’ and although it is long, it is an unbelievable article that is worth reading.

In my ignorance I did not even realise that MP3 music is of a poorer quality than that of CD’s but still, I will not go out and spend R120-R180 on a CD when I just want one song that I can play when and where I like. The ‘good enough revolution’ which comes out of what they call the ‘MP3 effect’ is just this: “…we favor flexibity over high fidelity, convenience over features, quick and dirty over slow and polished. Having it here and now is more important than having it perfect.”

Quick snap to show Jeremy the kitten that had been brought home (who is now Pye)

This made me reflect on Wren and where it is going. I am a perfectionist and I value quality, but yet I’m a victim of the ‘MP3 effect’ and of so many other convenience(s). I also have a low res and a high res camera but I choose to carry around the low res one becuase I can easily fit it in my bag. For this convenience I will sacrifice quality becuase it is more important that I have the photo to show and share.  “The qualities we value have simply changed. And the change is so profound that the old measures have almost lost their meaning.” Quality is valued by ease of accessibility (be it by price or features). “Getting the job done’ is more important, even if it doesn’t let you ask every question or address every contingency.”

Provender - Durbanville House

I find this frightening. I often envy my grandparents generation where, for example, my grandfather built their homoe and it took him years and years but yet it is as solid as a rock. Today, a house is expected to be built in 6 months and we are annoyed when it is not. I envy the time, the attention to detail and ultimately, the quality of those days.

But yet I am trying to find ways to make Wren bags cheaper and more affordable (and ultimately more accessible). We say we want quality and will pay for it but will we really? Do we not just want a bag that we can show off for a season, that meets our needs for right now? I’m still wavering becuase although Ive been proven to be apart of the ‘good enough revolution’ there is a big part of me that screams with resistance in favour of true quality and craftsmanship.

Quality vs. Quantity

February 13, 2009 in Conversational by wendren | 7 comments

Ceramic Rainbow Cups by Clementina van der Walt

“The ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality.

His procedure was simple: on the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work of the “quantity” group: fifty pound of pots rated an “A”, forty pounds a “B”, and so on. Those being graded on “quality”, however, needed to produce only one pot—albeit a perfect one—to get an “A”.

Well, came grading time and a curious fact emerged: the works of highest quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity. It seems that while the “quantity” group was busily churning out piles of work—and learning from their mistakes—the “quality” group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay.”

Via Design Sojourn.

Quality

September 22, 2008 in Conversational by wendren | 3 comments

There is a new Wren bag in the pipeline and for it I needed more knowledge and skills than I had. So, I joint up with a talented a fashion design student to help develop the pattern and make the sample.

The bag design is relatively simple and the only reason I outsourced it is becuase it will take 10 times longer for me to do, by watching a ‘professional’ I thought I could learn a few tricks (as I am a self-taught pattern maker) and I had no idea how to sew the pattern pieces together once they were made (I needed to be shown). Sadly, the quality of the sample bag is not up to scratch and after a month and a half of waiting for the sample to be complete, I have decided to just accept the poorly made bag and do it myself – properly. This is not the first time I have been disappointed by quality.

As I understand and see it, if you are rendering a service of any kind you do it as best you can. If you do it well, by word of mouth I guarantee that you will get business and ultimately, make more money. It is sad that this is not understood as common sense.

Quality makes a huge difference and I feel that in a world where we have so much stuff, and so much junk, we need to value quality and offer quality. Wouldn’t it be great if we all respected materials (and I do not just mean fabric) enough to make it become the best product it could be. It boils down to respecting nature, yourself and having pride in what you do.