Slow-made is the new luxury as more people are investing in unique, handcrafted pieces. As the world is being taken over by mass-produced products, owning labor intensive, bespoke pieces now signals individuality, taste, and wealth. Consumers have also started to care more deeply about who makes their products as they question the ethics and declining quality of factory-made goods. According to Michael Scanlon, chief creative officer of creative studio Chandelier, craft feels “humanist, sensual, and true” in a world that feels increasingly jaded, cynical, and shaped by algorithms. “Prices have soared, quality is in question, and so craft and provenance are essentially the way to prove value,” he explains.
With handicrafts becoming a status symbol in itself, artisans are increasingly incorporating luxury materials into their crafts to elevate a handmade object into a functional piece of art. However, premium supplies can swiftly compromise your bottomline if you keep paying full retail prices. By knowing how, when, and where to buy them, you can source top tier materials without breaking the bank. If you’re an artisan, here’s how to source premium materials on a bootstrapped budget.
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Industrial and Commercial Deadstock
Sourcing surplus, leftover, or discontinued raw materials from factories and design houses is a great way for independent makers to find quality materials while practicing sustainable production. With the fashion manufacturing industry generating approximately 92 million metric tons of textile waste globally per year, sourcing crafting materials from luxury or designer factories can be an effective way to reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfills all over the world.
To source premium materials, check out deadstock marketplaces like Queen of Raw, a platform which connects factories and brands holding excess fabric with designers and craftspersons looking for sustainable and affordable materials. There’s also Nona Source, an online B2B resale platform that resells surplus leathers, fabric, and yarn from brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Givenchy at deeply discounted prices. Keep in mind though that Nona Source only serves creative professionals based in Europe and selected regions with physical showrooms. Other platforms that are worth considering for fashion leftovers include The New Craft House and Last Yarn.
If you’re looking for metal, hardware, electronic parts, or mechanical components, check out industrial liquidation platforms like Salvex or Ebay Business & Industrial. Alternatively, you can work directly with jobbers to source your materials. Jobbers are independent brokers who buy overstocked materials or canceled orders from mills and factories for a very low price, then these items are resold to smaller businesses and artisans. To find jobbers near you, search for “textile jobbers” or “surplus metal wholesalers.”
Build Relationships with Local Manufacturers
If there are factories or workshops within your area, think about reaching out to the factory production managers or designers and explain that you’re an artisan who’s interested in buying their clean waste or obsolete stock. Small scale factories, industrial workshops, and design studios generate significant waste that they pay to store or discard, so it’s likely that they’d agree to work with you since you’re basically solving a storage problem while helping them recover a fraction of their capital.
Working directly with a factory also gives you a clean paper trail since you can prove the authenticity and physical composition of the material to your buyers, and you can be assured that you’re using only the best for your pieces. For instance, if you need titanium sheets to make jewelry or sculptural art, you’ll want to make sure that you’re getting the real thing, whether you buy titanium online or from a physical shop. Unlike traditional metals, titanium can undergo a process called anodization, which imparts brilliant, iridescent colors on the metal without the use of dyes or paints. Working with authentic materials guarantees the quality and longevity of your crafts, and it also boosts your reputation as an independent maker.
Maker Destashing Networks
Artisans often change artistic styles or mediums, close shops, or overbuy. To recover some costs, craftspersons list their unused, high-end inventory online, so check destash groups on Facebook, or follow Instagram hashtags like “destashsale” or “craftdestash.” You can also find them in niche community forums on Reddit and dedicated resale sections on Etsy. Destash networks can be an excellent resource for rare or high-quality materials, like vintage glass beads or hardware, and you can usually get them at garage sale prices, especially if you buy in bulk.
Crafting elegant, bespoke items doesn’t have to come with exorbitant price tags. With these sourcing secrets, you can now create without compromise and build a sustainable business while keeping production costs down.
