This NYTimes.com article on the foundation of Italy’s economic woes. Many of them stem from the effects of globalization on the practice of bespoke manufacturing. The article shine a light on the fact that in this day and age, even the highest level of luxury and quality are trumped by efficiency.

This quote shines:

In the eternal contest between the meticulously honed and the nationally franchised, Italy knows where it stands. As a matter of profit and loss, it doesn’t make sense to store wool in a spa and let it convalesce for six months, but the methods of Luciano Barbera were never destined for a get-rich-quick guide to manufacturing. His business will make sense only to customers, and for them, quality has a logic of its own.