Why Making Things by Hand Changed the Way I Look at Expensive Brands
I used to think luxury had a logo. Like many people, I admired the famous fashion houses. Chanel. Dior. Hermès. The names alone seemed to carry a kind of magic. Their jackets looked perfect, their craftsmanship seemed almost mythical, and I assumed that true quality simply had to come with a breathtaking price tag. Then I learned to make those jackets myself.
Years ago, I became fascinated by the iconic Chanel-style jacket. I didn't just want to own one—I wanted to understand one. So I studied the construction, collected books, examined every detail I could find, and learned the traditional couture techniques stitch by stitch.
Eventually, I made my own.
To my surprise, it was every bit as beautiful as the originals that had inspired me. It had the same careful tailoring, the same hours of hand sewing, the same luxurious fabrics and meticulous finishing.
The difference?
It didn't cost ten thousand dollars.
Not because it was "less." It simply didn't carry everything around the jacket.
That realization completely changed the way I think about luxury.
Chanel-Style jackets, hats and bags: 100% Handmade by Marga
The Price Tag Tells Only Part of the Story
When people buy a luxury brand, they are paying for much more than the object itself.
They pay for flagship stores on the most expensive streets in the world.
They pay for glossy advertising campaigns.
They pay for celebrity ambassadors, influencers, fashion shows, photographers, marketing agencies, luxurious packaging, and decades of carefully built prestige.
And of course, they pay for craftsmanship too. I would never deny that many luxury houses employ incredibly skilled artisans.
But once you have made something yourself, you begin to see the difference between the craftsmanship and the brand around it.
The stitches don't know whose label they belong to.
The fabric doesn't become softer because there's a famous name sewn into the lining.
Good tailoring is good tailoring.
Beautiful craftsmanship is beautiful craftsmanship.
A perfectly balanced sleeve doesn't care whether it is worn by a queen or by your neighbour.
So... What Is Luxury?
These days, my definition is completely different.
Luxury is having an afternoon without rushing.
Luxury is sitting behind my sewing machine while the rain taps softly against the window.
Luxury is choosing beautiful natural fabrics simply because they make me smile.
Luxury is knowing exactly how every stitch was made.
Luxury is creating something that may outlive me.
Ironically, the more I learned about couture, the less impressed I became by logos.
Not because the brands suddenly became bad.
Because I discovered what actually makes something beautiful.
Handmade Is Honest
People sometimes ask why handmade pieces cost what they do.
The answer is wonderfully simple.
When I create something for Handmade Luxury Home, you are paying for exactly three things:
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the materials,
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the hours of handwork,
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and years of experience.
That's it.
There is no glossy flagship boutique.
No million-dollar advertising campaign.
No influencer posting carefully staged photos.
No celebrity contract.
No marketing department deciding which colour will become "the colour of the season."
No image consultants convincing you that happiness comes in a shopping bag.
Every euro goes into the object itself.
And into the person making it.
Handmade Art Is Different From Luxury Branding
A luxury brand sells a dream.
A handmade artist shares a piece of life.
Every handmade object carries tiny imperfections that machines cannot reproduce.
A hand-embroidered stitch may be microscopically uneven.
A handwoven basket may have a little character.
A quilt may reveal the maker's hand in ways that factory production never will.
Oddly enough, those "imperfections" are often the most perfect part.
They tell you that a real human being spent hours creating something that didn't exist before.
That cannot be mass-produced.
And certainly not by an algorithm.
The Richest People I Know...
...often don't seem rich at all.
They grow vegetables.
They repair old furniture.
They knit socks.
They bake bread.
They mend clothes instead of replacing them.
They know how to make things.
That kind of wealth never goes out of fashion.
It cannot be stolen by changing trends.
And it certainly doesn't need a logo.
My New Definition of Luxury
I used to think richness meant owning beautiful things.
Now I think richness means being able to create beautiful things.
It means having time.
Having skills.
Having curiosity.
Having peace.
A tidy sewing room.
A faithful sewing machine.
A basket filled with fabrics waiting for their next story.
That, to me, feels infinitely more luxurious than another shopping bag with an expensive name printed on it.
Perhaps the greatest irony is this:
The more I learned about luxury fashion, the less interested I became in buying it.
Not because I stopped appreciating craftsmanship.
Quite the opposite.
I finally learned to recognize where the real value lives.
It isn't stitched onto the label.
It's stitched into every single seam.
Marga van der Vet
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Bruntenhof Gate Utrecht Netherlands € 150,00 -
Botanical Quilt Throw € 295,00 GRATIS verzending -
Dark Romantic Home Decor € 155,00 -
Embroidered Luxury Teapot Cover € 195,00
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