Getting crafty

Melbourne has long been known as Australia’s shopping capital, and with an ever-increasing number of global brands arriving in town, shoppers have more choice than ever before.

Alongside this, a growing trend is emerging among conscious consumers towards a more authentic retail experience. They want to meet the maker and learn the narrative behind the product they are purchasing. Luckily, Melbourne is home to a hive of creative makers providing an alternative to mass produced wares, and its craftspeople are delivering in spades.

Bespoke jewellery, shoes, ceramics, fashion, textiles and timber are increasingly becoming the first choice for those who apply more thought to that which they buy, wear and use in the home.

From collectable pieces at high end retail galleries to more affordable items at markets, there is a work of craft to suit everyone in Melbourne and an array of places to find them:

A centre for contemporary jewellery

Finding the shoe that fits 

Handmade for the home

Getting thready – textiles in Melbourne

Made in Melbourne – where to find it 

The National Gallery of Victoria, in collaboration with the National Craft Initiative (NCI) will present Parallels: Journeys into Contemporary Making, a two-day international craft conference on 17-18  September, 2015 and a month of associated exhibitions and events.

For more information on craft in Victoria, visitors can head to Craft in Context, a new online resource highlighting Victoria’s craft collections and telling the stories behind the cultural collections held by organisations across the state.