The Things We Choose to Carry Forward

  -------A Founder's Journal from TailorBatch

 

I often ask myself why craftsmanship matters so much to me.

Perhaps the answer begins long before TailorBatch.

I was born beside Lugu Lake in Yunnan, in the homeland of the Mosuo people. It is a place where history has never depended on books. For generations, our stories have been carried by voices, remembered through songs, and preserved by the hands of those who came before us.

In my community, knowledge lives in people rather than on paper. A grandmother teaches a granddaughter. An artisan teaches an apprentice. A melody, a ritual, or the way a piece of jewelry is made survives only because someone cares enough to pass it on.

As a child, I never thought this was unusual.

I simply believed this was how the world worked.

When a Craft Disappears

Only later did I realize how fragile inheritance can be.

The jewelry I wear today is part of my family's story. Some pieces belonged to my great-grandmother. Others were given to me by my mother and aunts when I got married. Every piece carries memories that cannot be measured by age or value.

Among them is one ornament that I treasure most.

It is a small Buddhist pendant that has been passed down through generations of women in my family. No one today knows exactly how it was made.

The craft disappeared before my grandparents' generation.

The techniques.

The tools.

Even the knowledge itself.

All have quietly faded away.

The pendant remains.

The craftsmanship does not.

Whenever I hold it, I am reminded that traditions rarely disappear all at once. They vanish slowly, one generation at a time, when there is no one left to continue them.

Carrying Stories Forward

Today, my own daughter is not yet two years old.

One day, I hope to place this pendant in her hands, just as it was once placed in mine.

Whether she chooses to keep it is entirely her decision.

But I hope she will know that every object carries a story.

And every story deserves someone willing to remember it.

Tradition Doesn't Have to Stand Still

Not every tradition has to disappear.

My sister-in-law comes from an ethnic community in Yunnan that is known for its embroidery. She transforms traditional needlework into contemporary jewelry, allowing an ancient craft to find a place in modern life.

Watching her reminds me that preservation does not always mean keeping things exactly as they were.

Sometimes, preserving a tradition means allowing it to evolve.

That is how culture survives.

Why Yunnan Matters

Yunnan is home to 29 ethnic groups, each with its own textiles, embroidery, silverwork, dyeing techniques, weaving traditions, and ways of making clothing.

It is one of the most culturally diverse places in China.

Here, craftsmanship has quietly shaped everyday life for centuries.

Yet many of these skills now face the same challenge.

The modern world moves quickly.

Handmade work asks for patience.

It may take years—sometimes decades—to truly master a single technique.

That kind of dedication is becoming increasingly rare.

When that patience disappears, we lose more than beautiful objects.

We lose ways of thinking.

Ways of seeing.

Ways of making.

Why I Started TailorBatch

TailorBatch began with this realization.

It was never intended to be simply another apparel sourcing company.

I wanted to build something that could connect skilled makers with brands around the world while giving traditional craftsmanship a place in modern manufacturing.

Not every garment needs heritage techniques.

But every handmade skill deserves the opportunity to continue existing.

My Own Craft

I am not a craftsperson myself.

My hands are better at typing than sewing.

What I can do is write.

I can document stories.

I can introduce remarkable artisans to people who might never have discovered them otherwise.

I can use technology to build bridges that geography once made impossible.

Perhaps that is my own way of carrying something forward.

A Quiet Beginning

If these stories encourage even one person to value craftsmanship a little more—

or inspire one brand to work with the people behind these traditions—

then TailorBatch has already become more than a business.

It has become part of the inheritance.

"Some things are not preserved because they are old.

They are preserved because they continue to give meaning to the people who carry them forward."