We love quality materials, and quality workmanship, and we have the deepest respect for the people behind them. I remember our first visit to the French tannery that supplies our Contemporary leathers – being awestruck by the sheer number of colourful hides hanging in the rafters, all the one gorgeous shade, and all destined for Hermès. So when we came across the Hermès travelling Festival des Metiers (Festival of Crafts) we spared a moment to touch the leather hides and watch the leather craftsman at work. What blew us away, though, was the silk-screening demonstration. As I'm sure it does to everyone who works to earn the money they spend, a Hermès scarf seems to us incredibly expensive. But when you see what goes into making them - the set-up, the absolutely precise silk screenings, the variety of colour ways, the hand stitching ... you can see why. The ultimate luxury artefacts are handmade, and the people who make them deserve our respect. Behind the scenes, how do they manage this? Each design is run once, and once only. The boutiques have just one opportunity to order. If they want to order later, they can't. If they want to order more, they can't. The opportunity to own a Hermès scarf comes just once, and is gone forever. Which does make you think… Our everyday business is making utterly unique books and albums. An album of beautiful photography, beautifully designed, painstakingly printed and bound, is something of which everyone involved can feel very proud. Cheers, Ian