The Handmade Economy

Designers, take note. There is a new economy out there screaming to be noticed. One of a kind. Handmade. Handcrafted. Yes, a new economy, yet a very old one. We have come full circle.

In a world of mass production and super Wal-Marts, we are yearning for the craftsmanship and human touch of handmade goods. In a world seeking to find sustainability after learning some very hard lessons about excess, we are tired of seeing the tags saying “Made in Sri Lanka” in our mass-produced clothing, “Made in China” stamped on our toys, and tired of talking to “Tommy” in India about the charge on our credit card that isn’t ours. The towns that used to be the furniture production capitals of the world are virtual ghost towns because we are now importing from China and other Pacific Rim countries at staggering rates.

There is a yearning, running quiet and deep, for something we have lost. Our great-grandparents knew it, maybe even our grandparents. But somewhere along the way, industrialized economy made us want bigger, more…cheaper. And now, we are feeling something tugging at our sleeves.

There is a movement out there and if you are very quiet, you may just begin to hear it on the wind behind the noise we’ve become anesthetized to. You may pick up a word here or there. “Handmade.” “Locally grown.” “Community.” Look closely. Greenmarkets, WholeFoods, craft fairs, artists’ co-ops. And, the Web. Yes, the big WWW has gotten in on it, too. Because “community” has gone global. Real, honest-to-goodness people creating a real honest-to-goodness economy of the new “handmade.”

Etsy.com. Join us at the Design Style Guide in taking back the “art” of commerce.