We visit our friends in the North, the 877 WORKSHOP and witness first hand how they bring forgotten crafts back to life.
The CEE ARE DEE team have been lucky enough to call Silvia and Daniel of the 877 WORKSHOP friends for a while now. We met a few years back at the Amsterdam Denim Days and were totally hooked the moment we laid eyes on their chain stitched patches. Little did we know, this is only the tip of the craft iceberg when it comes to these two.
Going strong since 2012
They started back in 2012 crafting accessories for men. What makes 877 really stand out from the crowd is their total dedication to discovering the craft behind their creations. Most accessory brands out there will source component parts such as closures, hooks, buckles or rivets and simply put them together. 877 is different, Silvia and Daniel actually manufacture all their metal parts themselves. What they can’t make themselves, things like fabrics and leather they source as local as possible so long as the quality matches their exacting standards.
They want to experience craft
Now, if you’re thinking, why would someone go to all that trouble? Ok yes, there are component parts out there of the finest standard and they are used by brands we love and adore. But what drives these two is just how these metal components were made… how the patches were chain-stitched back in the days, how a ring was stamped or forged. They want to experience the craft.
This fascination with the way things were done way back when has taken them on a journey, or many journeys of discovery. They just seem more curious than most. Something will catch their eye. They will think, ooh, that looks interesting. For most of us, that is where the story would end, if we are really industrious perhaps we would WiKi it and expound it at some party or event. No them. They will dive headlong into the history, techniques, tools, trades and stories. They will travel hundreds of miles to visit artisans still creating whatever it might be that has interested them. They will find old abandoned factories or storehouses, rescuing the machinery and tools which would have otherwise been lost. And they will actually use them.
An Aladdin’s cave
Walking into their Hamburg studio is a little like walking into a nutty professors lab. You have pristine mechanical thingys that ate all springs, gears and confusion. On the walls are inked technical drawing of the mechanical thingys. There are blocks of metal neatly stacked on shelves. On closer inspection, these rough, heavy blocks are actually stamps for the most intricate and elaborate jewellery designs. Filling in the spaces between are the examples of just what can be done with these tools. There are chain stitched patches, bracelets, necklaces, bangles, rings and a bunch more in between.
Through the back, they have two more rooms. In one, they have hanging shirts, jackets and other garments that they have lovingly chain stitched with beautiful designs. Also in this room, you can find a leather stamping machine. At the time we visited, they were busy making coasters inspired by the Porche 911 wheels design.
Everything in its place
Through the back is the main workshop, and the cleanest, most orderly workshop we’ve ever laid eyes on. Everything has a place and is decidedly in it. We see drawers full of freshly cast rings, belt buckles and rivets. There are works in progress along with “coded plans” of the finished article.
We spend a couple of hours there and Daniel and Sylvia patiently taking us through each individual machine, explaining its purpose, how it works and the history behind it. Not only the history of the machine but also the story behind how it came into their possession.
Their Hamburg based workshop is exactly that, a workshop. As much as they are more than happy to show folks round it is much better to drop them a mail [hello@877workshop.com} and arrange an appointment. They have a load of things there, but not everything that they make is on show at the workshop. To see the full scale of just what they are capable of, head over to their website here.
