Ratio et Motus is a Chinese company making a limited range of luxury, craft handbags (https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3014849/why-chinese-designers-behind-ratio-et-motus-dont-want-make).
The conceit of the design is geometry and passion combined: ““The brand name translates to ‘reason and emotion’ because our aesthetic is about trying to find a balance. While our designs are different, they have to make sense in term of functionality and quality. We want to deliver emotion through the products,” Wang says.”
In Thomistic ethics, reason orders the passions, calibrating the energy of the passions to quadrate with the rational identification of the moral object appropriate to the agent’s circumstances.
Aquinas predates mass manufacturing. The Catholic tradition has supported small business as an example of solidarity and subsidiarity (V&R, Chapter 3). Aquinas would likely welcome the attention to craft, working conditions, and careful material sourcing that is a trademark of the company.
I think the great Italian would be proud that a Chinese company is relying on — and treating well — his compatriots.
