Principle
Overbeck was founded on the convictions that:
1) There is more to the craft and creation than the romanticized image
2) There is a better way to consume material goods
3) There is a desire for a way to find authentic goods, and connect with the people who make them
There is an image of a maker--the mythical craftsperson, working obsessively in the woods, to create the latest of trends. It's an alluring image, but a reductionist one of cedar-scented beard oils, tiny houses, leather boots, Flannel, and Etsy bric-a-brac. The stories, goods, and faces of authentic brands all seem to be pushed aside. Though the current trends in making and goods curation aim to nod to a certain way of life patently "wrought" in and of themselves, it seems they have missed their mark.
It's important to note that these new brands were inspired by something else, something authentic that attracted and provoked them to want to live and make and craft in the same way. But something has gotten lost in the process. It seems like the facade has become more of a concern than the craft itself. This initial inspiration, this drive to make, and this desire for craft has been abandoned for an aesthetic. The trend embodies an image of elect grittiness, worthwhile work, and chique-ness. However, the appeal of this movement has lost its touch to many who were inspired by the same original craftsmen and makers.
There is an authenticity and originality problem among the new makers and the curators of their goods. Online stores, blogs, pop-up shops, all share the same contrived branding and design fads, and many of the makers emulate the same logo design and goods as each other, perhaps melding them all into one large brand of false heritage and identity. Not every brand can have a "heritage" or "heirloom" status, new craftspeople are minted every day. But once one has seen enough candle and leather goods makers with the same "Word & Word" names or "X" logos, one realizes that there are aesthetics and traits to "craft" and "curation" that have become miserably commoditized.
Things are changing. Consumers are beginning to take note of the effects they purchase, and are delving deeper into the relationships between the goods, their makers, and the stories behind them. Craft matters. People matter. There is too much variety, too much dynamism, too grand a picture to paint of the modern artisan project than to reduce it to artisan beard oils, waxed canvas aprons and tool rolls, bean-to-bar chocolate and the preferences of small market groups, influencers, and opportunists.
Overbeck was founded in an attempt to paint the grander landscape of craft and handmade alike and the faces and stories behind it, celebrating the story, faces, and goods first, and then the means and resources to make an informed, connected and holistic purchase that affirms the idea that what you buy should harmonize with your own values, your own authenticity.
Hopefully you won't hear the word 'curate' used too flippantly here, nor will you find yourself another GQ style blog and Instagram that looks like the average lumbersexual's last daydream. What you will find are faces- the faces of people making quality goods for the sake of their love for the art, for mastering a craft that is beautiful and provides value, and not for the sake of capitalizing on the disposable income and self-image aesthetics of millennials. You'll find a place where you can easily find companies and craftspeople whose products align with your tastes, but perhaps more importantly, companies whose ethos and adherence to fair trade standards, ethical supply chains, and healthy management and production standards.