Morgan Buckert, who was born into seven generations of Texas ranchers, makes finely detailed custom cowboy boots in her workshop in Hailey, Idaho. It is a craft that requires skill, creativity and brute strength to stretch and sew leather for the 50 to 75 hours it takes to produce a single pair of boots.
It also is a solitary endeavor. But that is typical of the lives of many passionate craftspeople in fields such as fashion accessories, ceramics, home décor and jewelry.
Ms. Buckert, however, has found support from an unlikely mentor that also started out as a humble leather goods shop: Hermès.
Since 2018, the French luxury giant has partnered with Nest, a nonprofit organization with headquarters in St. Louis, to stage an annual two-day workshop for makers from across the United States. Ms. Buckert was among the 32 craftspeople invited to the Nest x Hermès American Craft Convening, held in October in New York City.
Nest helps makers access business and marketing services and connect with peers, said Rebecca van Bergen, who established the organization in 2006 and is its executive director. She said more than 2,800 artisan and maker businesses participate in programming in 127 countries: “These are small businesses that can succeed and grow, and that economic opportunity can trickle to families and communities.”
A panel selected Convening participants from Nest’s Makers United program, which promotes inclusivity in crafts and focuses on artisans who are low income or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous or people of color).
While Hermès, best known for its incredibly pricey handbags, might seem worlds apart from independent American makers, the company’s executives who led workshops, panels and small breakout sessions made its story and practices relatable, Ms. Bergen said.
Having the support of a leading global luxury brand such as Hermès, she said, “makes the artisans feel seen and validated and that is really powerful.”
Authentic Versus A.I.
At a time when technology and artificial intelligence are changing many businesses, the handicraft industry continues to thrive. The global market, which made $830.4 billion in sales in 2023, is projected to grow 9.4 percent, to $1.864 trillion, by 2032, according to Research and Markets, a global research and consulting company.
As technology advances, Ms. van Bergen said, “more people seem to crave authenticity and traditional crafts,” just what Nest works to support.
And Nest’s mission speaks to the heart of the Hermès brand, said Nicole Dennis, the company’s director of client services for the Americas in New York, who was among the executives at the event. “The commitment to craft is integral to everything they do,” she said.
She likes to tell makers how Hermès started out making just one product, a horse saddle, entirely by hand. That was in 1837; every horse saddle is still custom made by its artisans. “I tell participants there is a benefit to being small because as a sole proprietor, you get to know your client personally,” Ms. Dennis said.
Hermès’s business advice is meaningful to many participants, including Mercedez Rex, an artist in Austin, Texas, who offers silk scarves and home accessories in marbled patterns. “Hermès taught me to think of my website as the equivalent of a window display,” said Ms. Rex, 45, who participated in the 2023 Convening, “and that products should change regularly to keep people interested.”
She said that, after the gathering, she commissioned new photography of her $50 scarves, inspired by Hermès’s clean, uncluttered imagery. Once she posted them on her website, she said, she saw an immediate uptick in sales. And, inspired by Hermès’s orange boxes, she has developed signature blue packaging for her pillowcases.
Ms. Rex declined to disclose her company’s annual revenue, but she said that it tripled over the past year.
A Narrative
Storytelling is an integral part of Hermès’s success (its equestrian heritage is well-known), and that is something artisan makers such as Ms. Buckert, 41, found particularly applicable.
The story of what goes into her boot making, she said, helps justify the price, which starts at $2,500 for a pair of boots in the customer’s choice of leathers and imagery that could include landscapes, the night sky, animals or wildflowers.
“Hermès spurred my creativity and got me to think about telling my story to clients in new ways,” she said. She now is writing short pieces about her design’s authentic Western inspirations to share with prospective buyers at events or to include with sales.
Also, Ms. Buckert can make only a limited number of boots each year, Ms. van Bergen noted: “The Hermès sessions helped her find ways to convey the value and longevity of the boots and help people understand they will have them for their entire life and can pass them down to their children.”
Several makers acknowledged that they lack the business experience to take their concept to the next level. Among them is Soliel Carlos, 33, a ceramics maker who was born in the Philippines and now lives in Brooklyn.
“It’s hard to put myself out there, especially as a BIPOC woman business owner,” said Ms. Carlos, who established Mamasun in 2020. Since the 2024 Convening, she has focused on ensuring that all her creations incorporate her design principles and she has been following the merchandising techniques she has learned.
Similar to how the French luxury goods brand imbues its signature designs with its heritage, she said she makes colorful pieces that reflect her Filipino roots. It is pottery with intention, she said, made to “enhance everyday rituals, like a handmade teacup when sipping tea.”
And, she added, “there’s a special connection when you know that someone made the piece that you’re holding, and you see the imperfections, the hand touch.” Mamasun’s ceramics, $25 to $350, are sold online, at crafts fairs and by some stores in Brooklyn.
One of the most inspiring takeaways from the Convening weekend, said Nashira Arnó, a Dominican-born jewelry designer in New York, was Hermès’s philosophy that craft is luxury and true artistry. “Hermès does not create based on market demands; instead, they seek out the world’s best artisans and grant them the freedom to explore and create,” she said. “This approach ultimately shapes the brand’s legacy through pure expression.”
Sharing their stories with one another and with the public is important in craft tradition, Ms. van Bergen said, noting that craft historically has been women’s work and done communally in many cultures.
The communal spirit that was part of the Convening this fall, Ms. Buckert said, was exactly what she had needed: “I made 40 new best friends. We help each other and inspire each other.”
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