Slow Design

Nice tie. Nice shirt. Nice shoes. Nice hat.  
People like to ask where you bought it, 

how much it cost, whether you paid 
full price or got it on sale. Along

the bottom of the shirt, an even row 
of stitches; buttons snugly attached in 

contrasting thread. Their sameness 
and regularity means they were made

on a machine. But some makers have
gone back to doing things by hand—

panels fuse together, as needle and 
thread pick a careful track up and down, 

from side to side. The cobbler cradles 
a wooden last on her lap, tapping holes 

in leather with an awl. It takes a long time 
before the parts come, beautifully, together.