The Makers Bible contains 101 carefully curated brands and products from Alpine valleys and mountain regions. "The Alps" delivers campfire stories and also serves as a travel guide for the next trip to the cultural region of the Alps. We are of course very pleased that with Hutschn one of these curated brands from the Berchtesgaden Alps is also included.
Many of us are enchanted by the Alps. At the sound of the word Alps, we immediately have images in mind: snow-covered peaks, lakes in which mountains and sky are reflected, mighty mountain forests and the quaintness of a mountain hut. The meeting of two continental plates created high mountains and deep valleys. These, in turn, gave rise to a very specific breed of people with their very own mentality.
The third edition of the Makers Bible is on the trail of this mentality, dedicated to passionate makers and their brands, this time in an extreme environment, with fierce climatic conditions where protection from the same is essential for survival.
The curators of the Makers Bible present Makers and Crafters of the Alps. For this alpine edition, they have decided to look beyond the workshops and studios. To survive in the Alps, a roof over one's head, a shelter, is essential. In the Alps, the "shelter seeker" also experiences a unique hospitality. Traditional locality and skilled craftsmanship, once out of necessity, now as a throwback, play an important role.
Modern alpine architecture, alpine cuisine and accommodation as inspiration for the next trip. The book wants to encourage its readers to discover "their" Makers themselves, so restaurants and hotels have also been curated according to Makers Bible criteria. The Alps includes URLs and further info, so this edition can equally well be used as an idea generator for the next itinerary through the Alpine region.
The Alps - a manifesto for quality, passion and craftsmanship - puts the spotlight on authentic makers who make their products largely or even entirely by hand. Some of them are traditional craftsmen and women, others have left a desk job behind to pursue something more tangible, and others are decades- or centuries-old brands with legend status and international brand recognition. In the Makers Bible are their stories; told so memorably that they will be retold by the reader. We call them campfire stories.
Why does the Makers Bible exist? Because there is always an alternative. An alternative to questionable and unfair production methods, an alternative to industrially produced food, an alternative to environmentally unfriendly materials and waste. Makers Bible always offers an alternative to the conscious buyer. Because our buying choices, our daily choices, are truly democratic choices that can make a difference.
The essence of the Makers Bible is three attributes. First, it is the quality itself that the Makers described produce. We equate quality with individuality; no two handmade products are alike. Quality manifests itself in the choice of material, which lasts longer, feels better or simply smells better and which is perhaps compostable or recyclable. Quality is also when something can be repaired (rather than replaced). Quality is the test of time and the emotional value that grows over that time.
Another value and criterion for the curation of the Makers Bible is passion. The passion of a craftsman manifests itself in his obsession with detail, in the robustness and ultimately the idealism with which a maker goes about his business. This 'idealism' is often paired with pragmatism, for example in the choice of local partners and easily accessible raw materials and partner companies. In food production, the passion is evident in how humanely the artisan treats the livestock.
Last but not least, craftsmanship. The trained talent to make something with one's hands and tools. Of course, the traditional, inherited methods of making are of interest. But with "the Alps" we also look at the modern, innovative Makers; an obvious example is the use of the computer in design, processes or communication. But Makers Bible is not so dogmatic that they would only curate products that are made solely in one place. That would be unrealistic. Whisky, for example, can be made entirely in one place, with local ingredients. In textile production, however, this is almost impossible.
It is the curated mix of makers and brands, 101 in this book, which not only the reader but also the 'makers' find interesting. A. Lange & Söhne, Bulthaup, Mercedes-Benz (G-Class), Jan Kath, Leica Camera are not only brands from the top 10 of the 'German Luxury Brand Rankings' but also brands that have been in at least one issue of Makers Bible. Here they are right in the middle and side-by-side with very small Makers like HutschnMichele Massaro from Maniago in Italy or Noriaki Narushima from Erding near Munich, both of whom are knifemakers (for whose knives you have to wait 18 months). And these in turn are mixed with medium-sized companies such as Güde Solingen, whose handcrafted knives are positioned in the medium to upper price segment.
