The Meaning of Making by Hand
The First Story with the McCarthy Family
For the first chapter of the Artisan Project,
we introduce the McCarthy Family, a fifth-generation box-making family based in London, whose craft has continued uninterrupted for over a century through W. MacCarthy & Sons Limited.
Before sharing their story, we would like to pause and reflect on why EMIN PAUL began this project in the first place.
As technology advances, our lives become increasingly shaped by speed, convenience, and cost efficiency. In that process, the presence of handcraft—where time, effort, and intention become a form of beauty—has grown ever rarer.
EMIN+PAUL wanted to protect this aesthetics of slowness.
We began this journey to seek out artisans who quietly sustain their craft, and to collaborate with them in creating new forms of products and new standards—ones rooted in respect for process, material, and human touch.
Why a Box Maker?
Choosing a box maker as the first collaborator was a deliberate decision.
Packaging is the very first moment a customer encounters a brand.
It is where values are communicated most instinctively—before a garment is worn, before a story is read. We believe the box is not merely a container, but a powerful medium through which a brand’s attitude is revealed.
A hand-made box may appear less refined than a perfectly uniform industrial product. Yet we saw this not as a flaw, but as its strength.
Through this collaboration, EMIN PAUL sought to redefine the box—not as a tool for protection, but as an object that carries intention, weight, and presence.
Touch, Weight, and Memory
We focused on how the box feels in the hands.
The structure was intentionally designed with noticeable thickness and weight.
Rough-textured cardboard was chosen so that the tactile sensation would be unmistakable upon contact. These decisions were made in the hope that the box would not be quickly discarded, but remembered.
This was not meant to be disposable packaging, but an experience—one that lingers.
Five Generations, and One Step Forward
The McCarthy Family represents more than longevity.
Their story is about how a single craft can be passed from one generation to the next—carefully, responsibly, and with purpose.
At the same time, this collaboration is not about preserving the past unchanged.
It is about honoring tradition while taking a step forward—finding relevance, meaning, and continuity in the present.
between hand and material, past and future, tradition and intention.
And it is only the beginning.
