The Rise of the Handmade

The start of the millennium heralded the dawn of a new age. The introduction of the internet to the masses sparked a chain reaction of changes with new social media platforms providing exciting and brand new sharing opportunities day by day. Alongside this came the rise of the handheld device, used as a mobile telephone but also able to connect you to the World Wide Web, giving you information at your fingertips wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Online Retail

Internet shopping and access to high street stores online was a by product of this easy access to information and one that the fashion world ran with. All of a sudden there were celebrity collaborations with high street brands, further lifting their profile in reality and on the web. Huge hyper markets for clothes began to be a normal sight in town centres with super stores of high street favourites opening up.

The Problem with Mass Production

And yet with all of this unrestricted access to fashion information and more shopping opportunities than ever before, it seemed that shoppers had lost their fashion way. As a group of consumers we were all looking at and buying the same things from the same shops and were fast becoming clones of each other. That’s not what fashion is all about, is it? Isn’t fashion about expressing who you are as an individual?

The Revolution

As quick as the mass production began, a quiet yet steady rebellion formed against it. Helped along by sites such as Etsy and Folksy where you can communicate and buy directly from makers and craftspeople, British designers began to make a comeback. Britain is an amazing country for clothes and jewellery design, particularly in the capital city which is a hub for up and coming independent designers such as Zayah, a design studio based on the banks of the river Thames where all of their jewellery designs get registered with the British Jewellery Association.

Why You Should Get On Board

There are so many reasons to shop from independent designers and craftspeople. From the quality of the workmanship to the durability of the pieces and from the value of a handmade item to the individuality of it. There really is nothing the high street can offer to compare to a handmade design, if you’re still not convinced, read this ‘top ten reasons to buy handmade’ article which is illustrated with beautiful examples of handmade jewellery.