11
June
Handmade in Belgium Label
11 June 2017
Through the HANDMADE IN BELGIUM authenticity label, UNIZO recognises the producers of genuine, traditional quality products. These products make a significant difference today for modern consumers. UNIZO intends to use the label to place modern, traditional craftsmen and women in the spotlight. From the Unizo website :
These days, we are all back on the search for authentic products again and there is renewed fascination in how a particular handicraft or technique is mastered by the people who produce them. Once again in these times of digitisation and economic crisis, handicraft is the subject of much discussion in newspapers, periodicals, fashion magazines and television programmes. The ‘Do It Yourself’ culture is exploding worldwide and the trusty term ‘Handmade’ has definitely made a comeback.
Of course, this growing interest for handmade products is both a blessing and a curse for the enterprising professional. The focus may be back on craftsmen, but at the same time it is important for them to distinguish what they do from that group of enterprising people who do it merely as a hobby. Worse still, the figures for occupations where there is a shortage simply don’t add up: too many traditional and technical trades are threatened with extinction.
