Spring markets offer handmade fashions
> BY JANET SMITH
Style lovers have an unprecedented array of spring sales, fairs, and events to get their fix. Here are a few of the calendar’s highlights that bring fashion out of the mall.
VANCOUVER GEM AND MINERAL SHOW
(At the PNE Forum from March 24 to 26) Prepare to be dazzled as more than 80 mineral, gem, and jewellery specialists from Canada and around the world display their bling. Make sure to search out special guest German Kabirski, a Thai-based, Caucasus-born artist who crafts stunning rings that have a raw, outrageously creative beauty; think rough, uncut sapphires, tourmalines, and spinels bursting out of wildly textured, organic mounds of silver or gold, or elements like reptile skeletons and wood integrated with the precious metals and stones. Labrador artist Billy Gauthier also joins the event, showing how Inuit tradition can meet modern forms in jewellery.
(At Heritage Hall on April 9) The grassroots style event is celebrating a decade of discount action, and for its 10th annual sale, 30 of the city’s hottest indie designers and artists price their stuff at under 50 bucks, with popular names like Adhesif Clothing, Daub + Design, and Allison Wonderland. The event happens only once a year; make sure to bring cash.
NIFTY FOR FIFTY
MAKE IT (At the PNE Forum from April 21 to 23) More than 200 “Makies” from around Western Canada dish up a wild spectrum of handcrafted wares, from gourmet goodies to funky home accents to artful jewellery. Highlights include Riding the Pine’s design-savvy screen-printed Ts, courier bags, and pillows, a mix of cool text and Canadiana; Thirsty Whale Elixirs’ East Van–made cocktail concoctions (think cranberryginger or apple spice); and Komboh Creative’s cool retro-pop art prints. Bonus: a beer garden, a DJ spinning tunes, food trucks, and a silent auction raising funds for the Union Gospel Mission.
FALL FOR LOCAL SPRING POP-UP
(At the Pipe Shop Building in North Vancouver on April 29 and 30) Beautiful B.C. design is showcased in a hip industrial setting by Lonsdale Quay. Fall for Local, which also hosts speaker series throughout the year for makers and other indie entrepreneurs, has curated a high-quality crew of offerings, including rich, water-resistant leather bucket and flip bags by Tofino’s Market Canvas; Korinne Vader’s serene linen kimonos, jumpsuits, blouses, and more; and Hunt of Hounds’ dramatically delicate, heirloom-feel jewellery. Watch for the complimentary braid and curl bar plus outdoor food trucks.
GOT CRAFT (At the Maritime Labour Centre on May 6 and 7) A cleverly curated assortment of makers, representing some of the coolest indie artisans in town. Worth checking out: Cabin + Cub’s folkycanadian wood earrings and cufflinks; Littlemod Clothing’s adorably hip organic baby clothing, printed with everything from raucous raccoons to lumberjacks; and Pit on Pottery’s warmly nostalgic ceramic mugs and dishes.