I Did It My Way

Too Cool for School

By: Connie Yan

Posted: 2/28/07

A friend of mine decided to pursue his love of making cabinets instead of enrolling in a university. He said people were paying more for handmade cabinets and woodwork because they were sick of buying the pre-made manufactured ones.

Despite the dramatic price difference between assembly line items and handmade items, clothing and accessories made by hand have become objects of desire for many shoppers.

We all know what happened during the Industrial Revolution and what it did for manufacturing. But it is the Arts and Crafts Movement that occurred after the revolution that relates to fashion. In the early 20th century, people began to invest their time and money into handmade items as a counter-revolution.

This notion of going against the "norm," or what is easy, reminds me of the current trend in fashion. Although the Industrial Revolution had us mass-producing countless household appliances and even clothing and accessories, the fashion world is beginning to migrate backward.

Henry Ford and Frederick Taylor were the ones who gave us the notion that any "craft" could be broken up into small tasks and any item could be assembled on a line. These assembly lines made clothing and everyday items cheaper and widely available to the masses. Yet breaking down the skill is not giving shoppers what they want. We crave the tiny details that can only be created by hand and the individuality of pieces that are not mass-produced.

It is the detail and handiwork, but also the labeling of "handmade" that sells. Web sites are beginning to pop up as venues for up-and-coming designers and artists to pocket from this trend. I recently discovered etsy.com. This website is an online marketplace featuring original pieces of clothing, jewelry, stationery and basically any type of handmade work.

Since sellers are made up of artists and designers who are just starting out or selling as a hobby, the prices are very reasonable and the designs absolutely original. Jewelery made of pearls, beads and seeds will only cost around $3. Screen -printed T-shirts and skirts will cost you about $15. Since most of these sellers are just working to get their name "out there," shipping costs are very minimal.

If you are more of a jewelry/clothing maker, this site will also be a great tool. You can start selling and create a store for your items. There are also sellers who specialize in beads, cloth and patterns for you to use in your creations.

Many of the items are made to order, making them even more original and anti-assembly line. I recently purchased a stack of stationary from a seller on etsy.com. After paying through PayPal, I sent the seller/designer my initials and within a week a dozen monogrammed, striped cards arrived in the mail.

What is more chic than being able to say, "Oh, I had it made for me"?

The Arts & Crafts Society is an organization dedicated to preserving the efforts made during the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th century. Their Web site arts-crafts.com features listings by field, for shops and artists who sell and create handmade items. Items range from furniture, lamps, stationery, textiles and jewelry, and are available in all 50 states.

Brands such as Ralph Lauren and Louis Vuitton market select items as "limited edition," and charge more for them. Why? Because we love knowing nobody else (well, nearly nobody else) has them. Handmade original clothing is limited-edition as well-very limited. Except with etsy.com and other sellers, these limited originals cost less.

Individuality should be celebrated. We are all unique individuals, why shouldn't our clothing be too? Why buy a T-shirt from American Eagle that every other person on campus has when you can get an original?