'OUT OF the crooked timber of humanity no straight thing has ever been made.' So Kant might have known better than to expect perfection from George Cleverley and James Smith & Co, two London-based companies who pride themselves on the dexterity of their craftsmen. After six months of louche weekend use my Cleverley shoes have worn through, and my James Smith brolly is hardly brillig. When open, the tag that holds it closed dangles before my eyes like furry dice from a rear view mirror.
In both cases a bit of R&D and trial and error might have helped, and even the slightest nod of customer feedback would have remediated the umbrella's quirk. I thought as much when I reported the substandard shoes to George Cleverley, but their cool response deterred further contribution. Nonetheless both companies epitomize the craft movement, now in full flow having evolved from trend to way of life. Ranging from folksy to artisanal, crafts provide an endless stream of theme inspiration, and no car manufacturer shows it better than Volvo.
I would guide you through the rough-grain wood and laminated forms, seats fitted in a tailor's cloth, and clothes tags depicting SRS, but summarising this absorbing evolution in one beautiful detail is the crystal gearshift in the XC90. Glass! In a car! Windows aside, this material barely gets a look-in due to cost, complexity and safety. When it comes to ascribing materials to parts, car manufacturers stick to knowns. One can hardly blame them. Factors such as smell, feel, surface abrasion, grip, fade and wear must all be accommodated, so to see unknown glass-blower Orrefours Glassworks in Sweden getting as job as supplier to Volvo bodes extremely well for the brands upmarket ambitions.
Out of the rigid timbers of car design, no human thing was ever made? Volvo might have just changed that.
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