Analogue Chic

Posts Tagged ‘etsy’

I’m participating in the current challenge for my Etsy Team, the Carried Away Bagmakers. Two of my creations are entered – you can vote for them, and win prizes, or buy them, and the proceeds will be donated to Women for Women International.
Go here to find out about the contest and check out the creative entries!

This is really important to me, because Women for Women and other microfinance programs for women are, in my opinion, the best way to empower women and lift families out of poverty. 

Philanthropy is my solution to the conundrum of reconciling my B.A. in International Affairs and my passion for human rights, with my need to be creative and my love of fashion.  Please support this endeavor.

{UPDATE: This post is now an entry in the Blog Off at What Designers. Vote for me!}

The standing joke among we handmade artists is that any  money we make from selling our crafts goes into feeding our addiction for pretty supplies and cute things made by friends.  In that spirit, a few months ago I treated myself to a Grace Napoleon original, a pink, ruffly wrap sweater.  But seriously, these purchases and the bonds we make in our raucous real-life meetings and in online forums are an important conduit for exchanging ideas and business advice.  In an effort to record this movement of self-employed women artists, and to preserve the lessons and inspiration I glean from them, I am beginning a project of interviewing women who have inspired me as an independent fashion designer. 

I met Grace at a meeting of our local new-wave craft club, and watched with admiration and curiosity as she handstitched her woolly holiday projects.  I finally sat with her on a recent evening for tea and dessert to talk about her evolution as a textile artist.

Grace is a Danbury, CT-area artist who designs and creates women’s clothing made from clothing– that is, she deconstructs secondhand clothes and re-assembles them in unexpected and charming ways.  Every new seam is stitched by hand.  She offers her clothes and other fabric crafts, along with vintage housewares, in her online store at Etsy.com and at regional craft shows and flea markets.

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Hello, dolls~

Today was the greatest day of my life… this month…

I had my first sale!!!!!!!!!!!!! From a darling lady in California.  I’ll be naming my first born child after her.

Ahhh, it’s so validating– to know that I’m not just slaving over my sewing machine for aught.

But anyway, to quote that lady who said it (Sally Fields?):  "They like me, they really like me!!"

ALSO ANNOUNCING:

Today I opened a second shop, at WinkElf.  The direct URL is AnalogueChic.WinkElf.com.

There is more selection here, not the same inventory as my Etsy shop, so be sure to check it out– you can browse and buy right from the right hand sidebar –> thataway –>

You can also access both my shops from the Shop tab at the top of the page.

I’m like a regular Coco Chanel over here.

 …. is, has been, was, and will be.

I’m going to rant here for a moment:

I really can’t stand the crop of new (since the late 90s) books, web posts, magazine articles, etc. that gush about neo-craft by proclaiming, "This isn’t your Grandma’s (fill-in-the-blank-craft here)!"

First of all, yes it is.

Secondly, so what if it is?

To explain my first point, all of the crafts that we are doing today are nothing new.  Knitting was not just invented.  Likewise, sewing with recycled and repurposed fabric is not an innovation.  Pottery, weaving, papier mache– ditto.  What is new is the design and style sense that modern crafters are applying to these techniques.  Just like fashion trends, new color combinations and patterns and designs evolve, but the keyword is evolve– i.e. they are informed and inspired by what has come before.

The only instance where it might be correct to say, "this ain’t cher Grammaw’s whatever-technique" would be in crafts that use plastic or other relatively new media as their material.  You know why?  Because they hadn’t been invented a hundred years ago.  But I would bet that your Grandma is taking a class on these techniques and materials at the senior center, or better yet is teaching the class you signed up for next month.

Secondly, it is just so offensive to me to use "Grandma" in a derogatory sense, or any other word indicating something that is not new or young and therefore not cool or worthy of publicity or, heaven forbid, cash-money.  Many other, more-credentialed folks than I have written about age-ism and the cult of youth in American society, so I’m not going to wax sociological here.  

Why do we have museums and archives, or the entire antiques and auction industry, if not because there are enough people who appreciate "old stuff" that they want to look at it for hours, or study it for new applications, or bring it home with them?  I mean, why do we have fashion buzzwords like "vintage", "retro", "Pucci-print", "bohemian", or "Goth", to take it back a few centuries?

Why, for the love of Coco, do we have crap like this being sold in the checkout line at Borders?!!  I think it was going for US$9.99.  A tote bag.  I’m going to be ill…

Not only is it offensive to equate "old" with not "cool", it’s just not true.  Traditional crafts, in their modern incarnation, are definitely cool.  Just look around Etsy, et al, to see the totally amazing, beautiful, and quirky things that people are making with their own little paws. 

I would consider the fashion industry to be the figurehead of cool craftiness– it is just sewing, when you get down to basics (it’s so much more than that, I know, but just work with me here).  There is nothing older or more mundane than having to cover your naked arse.  Just last night, at a small business workshop, I identified myself as an Independent Fashion Designer, and another participant exclaimed to her neighbor, "How cool!"  So there.  The people have spoken.

This rant was brought to you by vapid consumer journalism.  Julie Floersch, however, is certainly not vapid.  Candace Ang also makes beautiful jewelry utilizing fabric.

 "Brown paper packages tied up with string…"

Alright, Julie Andrews.  That’s enough.

Yesterday, I was scrolling through some tips on Etsy– oh, you know, just for general information…*eyes shift suspiciously*– and came across an interesting article on the importance of packaging.  Having recently received packages from 2 different Etsy sellers, it was interesting to note the subtle differences, and think about what I would do if, hypothetically, I were to open an Etsy shop…

Today I received a new pair of sunglasses– OK, they are Proenza Schouler, tortoiseshell, lovely French-made things (not these) but I’m not telling where I got them (at a ridiculous discount)– and the packaging was high-class.

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The outer box was smooth, thick cardboard, obviously well-engineered, and opened smoothly.  Inside, a very nice sturdy glasses case (with the glasses plus cleaning cloth inside).  Also inside the box was a small sleeve with a plastic card inside for you to record the purchase details for warranty purposes, and also a mysterious black envelope… which contained the warranty booklet.  So mundane, but really, really classy. 

Not having ever owned anything from a high-end designer, I felt very self-conscious, but also appreciative of the attention given to the package.  At the same time, since I am starting to explore the business side of the fashion industry, I completely understood the motive and the necessity for it.

I am really interested by branding now, since I am in the process of establishing "Analogue Chic" as a brand– through this blog, and the rest of my web presence, and my other endeavors.  In this modern business environment, where every industry is so so so competitive, your marketing and branding are almost more important, in terms of making the sales, than your product.  And I think psychologically it has a lot to do with how we, especially women, are attracted to certain products, and make certain purchases– we like to look and touch and feel something substantial with a nice texture.

This clearly applies to personal branding as well, i.e. our clothing choices and general appearance.  We choose different types of clothes for different occasions, and I believe most people consider their choices by the message they want to project.

I will be exploring this further in this blog, so stay tuned.