The ''indie design'' movement is made up of independent designers, artists, and
craftspeople
An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art ...
who design and make a wide array of products − without being part of large, industrialised businesses. The indie design movement can be seen as being an aspect of the general indie movement and
DIY culture.
The designs created generally include works and art pieces that are individual to that creative individual. Such products may include jewellery and other
fashion accessories
In fashion, an accessory is an item used to contribute, in a secondary manner, to an individual's outfit. Accessories are often chosen to complete an outfit and complement the wearer's look. They have the capacity to further express an individual ...
,
ceramics
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...
, clothing,
glass art,
metalwork
Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on every scale ...
, furniture, cosmetics,
handicrafts
A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...
, and diverse
artworks.
Marketing
Self-employed indie designers are supported by shoppers who are seeking niche and often handmade products as opposed to those mass-produced by manufacturing and retail corporations.
Indie designers often sell their items directly to buyers by way of their own online shops,
craft fairs,
street market
A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from the Arabic lang ...
s and a variety of online marketplaces, such as
Etsy
Etsy, Inc. is an American e-commerce company focused on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies. These items fall under a wide range of categories, including jewelry, bags, clothing, home décor and furniture, toys, art, as well as craft ...
.
However, they may also engage in consignment and/or wholesale relationships with retail outlets, both online and offline.
;Corporate knockoffs
In recent years some large manufacturing and/or retail
fashion
Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion i ...
and other lifestyle corporations have sold products which appear to closely resemble or directly copy innovative original works of indie designers and artists.
[Michal Addady]
"12 Artists Are Accusing Zara of Stealing Their Designs"
''Fortune'', 20 July 2016 This has caused some controversy.
See also
*
Design Piracy Prohibition Act
*
Fashion design copyright
References
{{Design
Design
DIY culture
Art movements
Handicrafts
Subcultures