If you’re looking for unique, it has to be handmade

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Crafters, artists and fans of handmade goods were out in full force at Unique Los Angeles during its debut at the California Market Center. About 6,000 people showed up to peruse goods made by some 200 vendors (most of them local) offering lithographs, jewelry, hair clips, letterpress stationery, T-shirts, clothing, leather goods, stuffed animals, children’s clothes and much more.

The setting — the unfinished top floor of the center — gave the show a loft-like, airy feel, perfect for the fun and funky items displayed in booths. Letterpress cards and stationery at the Tiselle booth caught our eye, the delicate graphics and lush colors standing out. Owner and designer Tianyi Wang, an Art Center graduate, said she draws some of the designs by hand before turning them into polymer letterpress plates. ‘My background is in oil painting,’ she said, ‘so I love mixing inks.’

Next stop was the Purrr booth, where designer Junko showed us her one-of-a-kind clothes made from recycled vintage items: youthful mini-dresses fashioned from oversized men’s sweaters, embellished with little bows, and men’s shirts crafted into feminine blouses, complete with ruffles.

‘I use the whole sweater,’ she said during the weekend event, showing us how sweater sleeves were turned into matching leg warmers for a dress. ‘I don’t waste anything.’ Junko added that only vintage clothes inspire her: ‘I love the feel and the quality of them.’

We liked the semiprecious stone and metal jewelry of HannahMade, the clusters of beads reminding us of tiny berries. Megan O Wold’s intriguing shadow boxes and felt faux animal head plaques were truly inspired. And Catia Chien’s lovely illustrations and prints had us lingering at her booth for quite a while.

Interactive elements are becoming integral parts of craft shows (event planners must know people are itching to create), and Unique Los Angeles was no exception. Fresh Pressed, a screen printing studio in Los Feliz, set up a small shop in a corner of the room where people could watch the process or try it themselves. Owner Jonathan Sample gave his view of why handmade has become so hot: ‘I think it’s a backlash to all the mass manufacturing,’ he said. ‘And people don’t want something their neighbor has. They want to make a statement and they want to be different.’

We couldn’t agree more. Stay tuned — event founder Sonja Rasula plans to do it again in May.

One last note: partial proceeds from ticket sales went to Create Now!, a local nonprofit helping at-risk children and young adults via creative arts mentoring, education, resources and opportunities. They had a booth as well, and Rasula said many were inspired to volunteer or donate to the cause.

-- Jeannine Stein