The growth of the indie craft movement is a result of an increased need for handmade products. This is due to the growing conscience of the consumer and the lack of individuality offered by products on the high street. The pull of the handmade object is great. With spending slowing down due to the credit crunch and with the environmental results of buying from sweatshops becoming evident, consumers are looking locally for their buying needs.

Cottage industries and locally produced crafts are growing in popularity. What we have seen happen with organic food and drink, we are now seeing occur throughout the entire market place. Aside from the eco-friendly reasons that see us buying locally, and from the conscious decision to rebel against consumerism, we actually prefer handmade products.
This, in large part, is because of the personal nature of the object. We cannot equal the feeling of well being that comes from buying work from the artist, or food from the maker. Neither can we ignore the feeling of satisfaction and happiness that comes from receiving a handmade gift. With this taken into account, it is hardly surprising that we are eager to snap up the products at handmade gift fairs.

‘I think that in this day and age, people are seeking out something that is authentic and personal. There is the opportunity for a customer to meet the person who has made the item they are purchasing.’ Deb Dormody. Handmade Nation.

Buying from the high street can be stressful. It very rarely gives the satisfaction that comes from buying an individual piece. Handmade shops and fairs offer the chance to communicate directly with the crafter. Pieces will often have a story or history and conversing with the maker will allow this story to unfold.

‘All craft is personal as it is about interaction and being involved with your work. Everybody has a story behind why they started.’ Amy Spencer.

Craft is personal for the maker as well as for the consumer. Working on a design or a project will have taken time and effort. Each piece will have a story. There will be reasons as to why it was a certain colour or pattern. Every item that is handmade is different as each one is made individually. This is something that cannot be re-created on the high street. Crafters are creating work for other people to love and appreciate. Handmade products are the exact opposite of the throw away culture.

Craft is a very personal way of creating art and design. A craft will often have been passed on through family generations. Each crafter will have an individual memory of learning their skills, whether that be from a grandparent, a mother, or a friend.

‘ I think my mother thought it was time I learned to knit and decided she would teach me, just as her mother had taught her. This was a secret craft, there was a technique that needed to be learnt.’ Amy Spencer.


Handmade craft does not have a common marketplace in the UK. We do not yet have such a thriving community of craft fairs like those appearing in America. The most accessible place to purchase handmade is on the web via sites such as Dawanda and Etsy. Here we can communicate with the crafter by email but unlike a craft fair we are unable to meet face to face. Blogs are also a great way in which to find out about new crafters producing hand made products. Bloesem is a European blog that positively promotes handmade wares. A recent post features a handmade christmas gift guide.



(Picture from Bloesem Kids Blog)


With handmade products only being available online, it is easy to see why the web has played such an influential part in the renaissance of the DIY culture. Craft fairs in America such as Bazaar Bizarre and Renegade, are a perfect way in which to develop the indie community. They are a fun and lively collection of stalls where artisans and crafters meet to chat and sell their work. The relaxed atmosphere of fairs and trunk shows welcomes a fresh new approach to shopping. It can be sociable and creative. Spending money on craft is exciting. Each time you purchase something, it is a little piece of artwork, a little part of someone’s story. Giving money to an art student or dedicated crafter is much better than, as India Knight states,‘lining the pockets of some giant greedy-guts corporation’.

In India Knights new Thrift Book; Live Well and Spend Less, she talks about the value of the handmade gift.

‘One of my favourite recent birthday presents was a beautifully knitted Lurex scarf. The friend who knitted it for me had some little Cash’s name tapes made that said, “Made for you with love by Alison” in red curly writing. The woman’s a lawyer; she doesn’t have much spare time. She could have gone anywhere and spent any amount on my present, but it wouldn’t have made me feel a fraction as delighted’.

In sum, these are the reasons why we are either buying handmade or deciding to produce our own beautifully crafted items. If we receive a handmade present we feel special. We feel we deserve it. Satisfaction like this can only come as a result of receiving a hand made item. I know that I will be pledging to shop handmade this year. We should all perhaps do this in a hope that we can change the world with small steps towards stopping mass consumerism.

http://www.buyhandmade.org/