Labour and Craftmanship among Italian Woodworkers: Ambivalencies between the economic value and the social value of upscaling artisan production

Drawing on my fieldwork among artisanal woodworkers and small woodworking firms in Northern Italy I discuss the new geography of production of upscale furniture and its evolving demand. The new customers appear to be part of the wealthiest percentile of the international elites of either former socialist or developing countries. I argue that their idiosyncratic requests for customizing furniture with non traditional decorations is causing to change meanings and goals about labour and craftsmanship among the artisans. New relationships between producers and customers are established causing ambivalent sentiments among the former regarding the economic value and the social nature of what they produce and trade. In other terms, what is produced is becoming more alienated from the producers, as they have less control over the production output.