#12 NEGOTIATING IN UBRIQUE
THE EXCITING TRIP TO UBRIQUE
01/31/17 3:00 PM The journey begins . In the trunk, a box of prototype materials, as many as needed. Laser-cut templates and raw fabric in case last-minute changes are needed.
01/31/17 10:30 PM Back at the hotel. The entrance to Ubrique was spectacular . I'd never been there before, and I really liked it. I'll go to bed early because I have homework tomorrow.
01/01/17 At 9:00 we have our first appointment at a workshop. Upon arriving at the industrial estate , the atmosphere of sewing, leatherworking, and fine craftsmanship, with a long history, is already palpable . Through some doors and windows, people can be seen working with sewing machines and tools; it's a pleasure to watch.
By one of those coincidences of life, we ran into a chatty Ubriqueño in the industrial estate. " Do you see that Mercedes parked there? It's mine. I bought it as a package. There were only two in Ubrique, Jesulín's and mine. " He asks us why we're there and if he can help us . Our first reaction is one of surprise, but we still invite him for a coffee and ask him which workshop in Ubrique does the best sewing .
He immediately takes us to a workshop. There's nothing written on the door, so if it weren't for the chatty Andalusian, we'd never have found the place . He introduces us as two travelers looking to complete a large project, and the company manager welcomes us. Everything's going well. After explaining what we need, he calls the workshop's pattern maker , Emilio. They chat among themselves in a very striking leatherworking jargon (the plate, the steak, whether it's loose here or there, the heel, etc.) and come to the conclusion that they can do the job and with a perfect finish. "Come back here tomorrow at 12:00 and we'll have it."
We left more than satisfied , but it was already 10:00 and we had agreed to leave at 9:00. Thank goodness the two factories were so close together, so we arrived and apologized.
01/01/17 10:00 We begin working with the artisan on the prototype. He prepares the necessary "taco" for making it: a little glue here, a cut there, a few touches with the "kickstand" here and there, etc.
He goes over it over and over again, sewing here, gluing there, etc. Hours pass, and he can't figure out how to do it ; apparently, such a specific and technical zipper poses a lot of difficulty when it comes to fitting it. Finally, at 9:00 p.m., he gives up, and we finish the day, deeply grateful for the effort and time spent.
The feeling is bittersweet, at first everything seemed easy, at the last minute everything seems very difficult.
02/02/17 8:00 After a busy day yesterday, we have another appointment at a workshop today. We explain the job and hand over the templates. The craftsman seems very competent and promises to have the prototype ready within a week.
At 11:30 , the phone rings . It's the craftsman who promised us yesterday to deliver the finished prototype by 12:00. Off we go, uncertainty filling us .
As soon as we entered, he showed us the prototype, and my expression must have shown what was going through my head:
