PRESS-INFORMATION
No. 14/2012
ARTISAN & ARTIST – Works of artistic craftsmanship for artists and discerning photographers
Artisan & Artist stands for products that are designed for artists and craftspeople. Founded by Seijiro Hangoi in 1990, Artisan & Artist creations were originally made for the lifestyle and professional beauty sector. Professional make-up bags and brush tools have been thriving on the market under the brand Artisan & Artist since early days. Here at Artisan & Artist art people and craftspeople are closely associated with each other.
A dedicated Leica photographer himself, the founder of the company went on to develop the vision of producing the very best camera bags, leather cases and straps as well as other stylish camera accessories. Here he was driven and inspired by his passion for photography, his desire for perfection and also by the disappointing range of camera bags and accessories that were available on the market.
Exquisite leather from Tuscany, from the best tanneries in the world, finest silks, sturdy canvas and hard-wearing ballistic nylon. Only hand-selected materials are incorporated in the immaculately designed products of Artisan & Artist. These show a true love for detail and are manufactured on the basis of many years of experience using traditional techniques. Every item from Artisan & Artist is unique.
In every Artisan & Artist product you can sense and feel the allegiance to tradition and craftsmanship, the continuous pursuit of perfection combined with a knowing and understanding of the user’s needs.
Artisan & Artist products are made for life. In their humble design they incorporate both a classic and urban style, they are based on the philosophy of understatement and enable the photographer to keep out of the limelight.
The true artistic, hand-crafted qualities of Artisan & Artist can be seen and felt. This is because skills from a whole range of traditional processing methods are mastered and used - traditional bag and strap making techniques perfected over centuries and passed down through the generations.
One of these unusual skills is called “Kumihimo”, an ancient braiding technique that was already used to make the handles for Samurai swords and is still used today. This braiding method is used by Artisan & Artist to produce cord straps and it makes them particularly sturdy and strong with an unmatched tension strength.
Absolutely unique are the elegant leather cases by Artisan & Artist. This leather is from Tuscany and from the best tanneries in the world. Only natural, vegetable tanning agents are used giving the leather a special, characteristic patina that is acquired over the years in a natural aging process. A true icon under the Artisan & Artist leather cases is the leather half-case in indigo blue, a colour that was used in Japan right up into the twentieth century to make uniforms. To acquire this unique characteristic colour Artisan & Artist uses the “Aizome” art of dyeing.
“Aizome” involves an extremely intricate dyeing process that takes about six weeks to complete. The high-quality leather is dyed in several dyeing stages until the desired indigo blue colour is perfected.
The art of sewing, in which painstaking care and a love for detail is put into Artisan & Artist creations, is mastered by only a few. This love of detail can be seen and appreciated in every seam on the leather cases. Every single seam is real, none of them are merely attached. High quality polyurethane awards the cases that soft and velvety touch on the inside and prevents any scratching of the precious cameras.
For the final touch polishing is also carried out at Artisan & Artist by hand. This brings out the characteristic structure of each item and provides a firm grip and immaculate shine.
Besides quality without compromise and a discrete design Artisan & Artist focuses on values such as functionality and comfort. Bags from Artisan & Artist are well designed on the inside with a clear arrangement of dividers that can be repositioned for transporting different camera equipment. Equally unique is the extreme carrying comfort of bags from Artisan & Artist. With extra-wide, reinforced padding at the shoulder the load is optimally distributed making the bag exceptionally comfortable.
The use of waterproof canvas means that the camera outfit is kept safe and dry inside and the bag provides protection even against heavy rain.
Whether camera bags, camera cases, straps or other photo accessories from Artisan & Artist, devoted photographers are sure to find a precious item to complement their camera outfit - a recommendation for every discerning photographer who wants the perfect protection for his or her camera outfit and who also attaches importance to functional comfort.
Further details available under
Further Minox GmbH Optische & Feinmechanische Werke
InformationAndrea Schmidt-Agel
available at:Walter-Zapp-Straße 4 · D-35578 Wetzlar
Tel. +49 (0) 64 41-917-613 · Fax +49 (0) 64 41-917-612
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