It doesn't matter what I think, all I know is that we have been at it for 18 years now and by now we ought to have our craft down pat. Moreover, you can get the fastest lap time on a day but let's face it, nothing lasts forever. So my commitment is to honing my craft for as long as I can do it, akin to the Japanese artisans who seek perfection knowing it will never come, but that the act of doing it over and over again will bring you closer over time.
Making bow ties has become part of my ikigai, it doesn't entirely define me, I am much more than a piece of silk you tie around your neck, but it is something I go back to time and time again, and, with your help, I will continue to be able to do that for a while longer.
Of course, it is humbling, because the truth of it is that I am a small cog in a bigger wheel, I can't have this moniker without my seamstresses, without the silk weavers, without the metal accessories makers I work with, without my secret interlinings and those that make them, and, without you, the customer, who chooses us over all the others they might engage.
So thank you, you all made this happen as much as anyone else did.
