Browsing “Crafts”

Vancouver is home to a thriving fashion industry made up of individuals committed to its growth and success. Get to know these personalities in The Inseam and discover what makes the Vancouver Fashion scene so awesome. Every month, The Inseam’s Eco Edition focuses on the innovators that shape the green movement in local fashion.

Photo by Jessica McIlroy

Is it just me or are there an insane amount of markets and pop-up shops in Vancouver these days?  And what’s more impressive than the sheer number of markets is the increasing quality of goods you can find at them.

This past weekend completed the fifth year of the Got Craft? market, started by Andrea Tucker in 2007.  I had a brief chat with Andrea and she stated that she started the event after participating in craft markets and feeling like they could be better; better organised and showcase better products.  So with her event management background she took on the challenge herself.

The event has evolved, growing at a steady pace, and moving into the Croatian Cultural Centre allowing it to run for two days instead of the previous one day event.  This year’s event had 80 vendors, with an estimated 3000+ visitors.

People head to markets for a number of reasons; to find things that are unique, made in Vancouver, eco-friendly, to look for a deal, or maybe to actually meet and connect with the person that made the item.  No matter what the reason is that drew you to a market, I’m pretty sure you will always be pleasantly surprised. Primarily by the amasing amount of talent and creativity there is in Vancouver.

Photo by Jessica McIlroy

Got Craft? had some familiar fashion faces from other markets and retails stores around the city, as well as some new ones. I asked Andrea what would draw designers to the market when they have retail opportunities, and she claimed that many of the vendors enjoy the markets because of the sense of community; being able to see customers face-to-face, and connecting with other Vancouver artists, designers and creators.

…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

Vancouver is home to a thriving fashion industry made up of individuals committed to its growth and success. Get to know these personalities in The Inseam and discover what makes the Vancouver Fashion scene so awesome. Every month, The Inseam’s Eco Edition focuses on the innovators that shape the green movement in local fashion.

Photo courtesy of Our Social Fabric

I would assume that most people aren’t aware of how many local clothing designers there actually are in the Vancouver area.  This includes all those who are designing, making and selling clothing and accessories, and there are literally hundreds.  In order for this important piece of our local economy to build and thrive there are a number of supporting pieces to the picture.  One of these pieces is the sourcing of fabric and textiles, and there is one organisation that is working hard to meet this need while helping to decrease the negative impact of the garment industry.

Our Social Fabric is a local non-profit helping to “recycle” unwanted fabric from manufacturers, the film industry and individuals by holding monthly sales and putting the fabric into the hands of our local designers and creators.

I sat down for a coffee with two Our Social Fabric board members to discuss what they are up to, and the deeper side of why we need organisations such as theirs.

Jessica McIlroy: How did Our Social Fabric get started?

Katharine Shipley: Leandre Melancon was a man locally working in the film industry and became shocked by the amount of fabrics that were used and just thrown away.  He then contacted local designer Kim Cathers, because he had read about her work with upcycling and recycling textiles.  So they started stock piling the fabric and selling it a bit, very ad hoc.  The challenge was finding a space to hold everything because of the high cost of real estate in town.  Louise Schwarz, from Recycling Alternative then came on board, and brought other people in, morphing it into a formal organisation.

JM: Has the vision for the organisation, and what to do with the fabric, changed through time?

KS: One of the initial visions was around actual textile recycling, but the capital required is enormous.  It is being done in places where bigger textile industries once existed, and so most of the required infrastructure already exists.  That’s a big dream and in the end I’m not sure whether we’ll ever be able to do that.  What’s changed is now we have visions around a creative common space, a sewing lounge, and maybe more community-based uses for the fabrics.

Jhenifer Pabillano: Yes, less hardcore recycling and more around what we can do with the fabric. Taking something that is un-used and unwanted, and turning into something good.

…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

By Steevy Blower

Crying, children, most of the time mutually exclusive, crowds, and chaos. Jingle a bell? We’ve all been there, and by there I mean malls during December. This holiday season avoid the aforementioned by getting your Christmas shopping done in one, much lower key place. The Portobello West Market on Saturday November 24 and Sunday November 25 (http://www.portobellowest.com) is a one-stop shop that will surely satisfy even the pickiest of pals on your shopping list.

The Foodie: Constantly instagramming their meal, this grub guru is always on the hunt for local food joints around Vancouver. They are the first to throw a holiday party offering delicious goodies and their recipe secrets. This season return the favour with a festively wrapped mason jar stuffed with swoon worthy Peanut Butter Roca Cookies from Cookie Delectables, or a gift box full of Bon Ami Bakery raspberry and pistachio french macaroons. To ease their table setting anxiety, watch them unwrap vintage teacup candles from Fruits of Whim, or a keep them prepared in a quirky “No Tears” apron from Bless This Mess.

…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

Meet Jenn Perutka and Karen La of Mish Mash Magazine, a fresh new online destination for DIY style, ideas and projects that launched last week. Jenn is a dear friend and fellow Vancouver Is Awesome editor and Karen is the local style maven and designer behind the coveted Broken Promises line. The inaugural issue of Mish Mash Magazine is about “firsts” – from kitchen and home bar essentials to your first smoothie – a culmination of months of work planning, coordinating, and collaborating with contributors and friends.  The result is a digital space that is bright, eclectic, and pretension free – all terms which happen to describe the two friends perfectly. Read on for a candid Q&A with this dynamic pair.

…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

Last weekend Spirit Friends Vintage was featured at our giveaway table at the BLIM Community Market. Selling locally-sourced vintage items, Kaitlin Williams, owner of Spirit Friends Vintage calls herself a “thrift store hunter and vintage lover.”

…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

VANCOUVER DAZE showcases and highlights the lifestyle and cultural scene of our beautiful city, uncovering all the INTERESTING THINGS, misadventures, and shenanigans beyond social functions and local happenings. We fiercely promote all the fun times, food, culture, and entertainment the city has to offer, along with the creative minds behind them. Follow more of my work/coverage over at RICKCHUNG.COM and on Twitter at @RICKCHUNG. You can pitch me HERE.

Volume 80: Gather Pop Up shop at 1 West Cordova (old Boneta space) in Gastown on July 27, 2012. Hashtag: #GatherPopUp. More photos available on Flickr.

Pop up shops are rapidly becoming all the rage. This is double for an intersection of art and commerce like Vancouver.

En vogue, artistic folk and the co-founder behind Cargoh set up shop in the heart of Gastown for a three day art and design fair last weekend, appropriately called Gather.
…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>