Craft is back – thankfully
The demand for handmade, homemade goods has become one of the fastest growing trends this year. I recently visited Paris with a friend from San Francisco. She adamantly refused to buy anything that was not made locally. This is a commendable goal, but at times not so easy to do. Like a vegan, you have to plan a little more when buying your meals. You have to study menus with more diligence than the rest of us. My friend found a fabulous pair of shoes in a small boutique in the bohemian district of St. Germaine, but they turned out, to her disappointment, to be made in China for some High Street brand name.
She passed on that purchase. Once we started really shopping, we were amazed at the wealth of fascinating handmade products and craft items we discovered, along with the stories of the artisans who made them.
Since the ’80s, “craft” has been rather frowned upon by the design world. One-off pieces were labeled as “designed by.” No one would use the word “craft.” Artisans sold their pieces themselves through market stalls or annual craft shows. They were completely shunned by retailers. But as we tire of shopping at the big-box stores and purchasing the same pieces as our neighbors, craft has made a huge resurgence.
The Internet has provided the means for all of us to meet and grow in a global community. This connection allows passionate artisans to meet each other online, to collaborate and to show their wares to an increasingly broad audience. Small businesses grow and provide models for other designers to spread their wings. Artisans and their businesses have become more professional with their orders and deliveries, and have grown quickly into their newfound fame.
We consumers now show off these unique, crafted pieces that have a story behind them, whether they are home grown or from around the globe. Offerings such as hand-woven baskets from an African tribe or dreamy fabrics produced by a women’s group in India now capture our imagination. A Scottish village revitalizes its hand-knitted throws, or Mexican families produce colorful pottery. No longer are these simply souvenir objects we would pick up on our vacations abroad.
Department stores are creating special sections to display unique, handcrafted fashions and home goods.
A small group of Danes had the idea to introduce sustainable knitwear for fashion and home and discovered the potential of the llama fiber in 2005. They deduced that the optimum was to manufacture products where the materials and expertise originate, in this case the remote highlands of Bolivia. The company, called Aiayu (www.aiayu.com), which means “soul” in the native tongue of Bolivia, won Ethnic Brand of the Year in 2009 and 2012. Their clothing, blankets and pillows are richly textured and durable with an extraordinary story, and are now available in boutiques and department stores.
There will always be a demand for off the shelf, practical, inexpensive goods. But there is nothing like the sheer joy of a handmade item that will have a special place in your home. Craft is no longer hokey; craft is cool.
Please email your questions to house2home@debbietravis.com.