A Dedication to Craftsmanship

Photo by mavoimages on Depositphotos

Since the Industrial Revolution and the advent of automated, sophisticated machinery, we’ve been moving away from handcrafted products made with traditional methods toward the mass production of cheaply made, disposable goods. That’s not all bad. These goods have, unquestionably, improved the lives of many people around the world.

But our relationship with many of the objects we use in our day-to-day lives has become soulless and disappointing. We’re used to instant satisfaction, to throwing things away when we’ve grown bored with them or when they stop working. And because most things are made this way, they fail easily and do not lend themselves to repair.

When I founded Naked Armor, I didn’t want it to be just another shop out there selling stuff. I wanted every single product we carry to be there for a reason, to serve a purpose, to solve a problem.

Shaving, which used to be an art and a discipline, a daily meditative pause and satisfying ritual, has also fallen prey to the trend of instant satisfaction—without even being satisfying—of cheaply made disposable goods that end up in landfills.

It took me years not only to learn which products work and which don’t, but where, how, and why the best ones are made. What I discovered went much deeper than finding the finest products out there.

Several places around the world have stubbornly resisted this trend of flimsiness, disposability, and obsolescence. These are epicenters of a proud, centuries-old tradition. Of uncompromising excellence in craftsmanship, passed down from father to son (or mother to daughter) and standing the test of time.

The family-owned companies I source the products from on Naked Armor embody the kind of thinking that says: “We want to make products that are so well-made and beautifully crafted that your grandkids will still cherish them, and my grandkids will still be able to fix—although, ideally, there’d be no need for that.”

England, Germany, Japan. Sheffield, Solingen, Seki. These are the epicenters, cities whose reputation in metalworking and craftsmanship is the stuff of myths. Sheffield gave birth to stainless steel. Swords forged in Solingen during the last millennium have turned up in all kinds of places in Europe, far outliving not only the warriors who wielded them but the foes they vanquished. In Seki, the katanas that personify the fearsome samurai were crafted.

And that’s where we at Naked Armor get our fine range of men’s grooming products. Straight razors, safety razors, shaving brushes, soaps and creams, and all the accessories made to accompany them are crafted by family-owned, family-run companies in these legendary cities. Companies that refuse to compromise and cut corners.

Highly skilled master craftsmen handcraft our products. The resulting objects make you pause in admiration and bring a smile to your face. And one day, even a twinkle in your grandson’s eye.

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