Five Big Reasons to Give the #GiftOfCraft This Holiday 2021 Season
Image description: Graphic of an embroidered floral hoop surrounded by a teal background and Art Deco style frames at the corners. Bold gold text reads, “Why give the #GiftOfCraft this holiday season? www.pochoir.nyc”
It’s holiday season 2021, and I hope that, like me, you are all able to have in-person celebrations with your loved ones—and what better way to make this year’s gatherings special with a unique, one-of-a-kind handcrafted gift? In honor of all of our amazing fellow makers and artisans, here’s Pochoir.NYC’s list of the top 5 reasons you should give the #GiftofCraft this winter. (Please note all links open up in new tab).
1. When You Give the #GiftOfCraft, You Help Fund a Neighbor’s Dream Instead of a Billionaire’s Space Fantasy
“Choosing to support an independent business is an act of respect; it’s acknowledging the tremendous risk and challenges inherent to starting your own thing. All of the makers in your life have a vision for a better world, and the best way to support that vision is to help fund it.” —Matt Kliegman, serial entrepreneur
Shopping small means creating and jobs and bringing creators’ visions to life.Since 1990, small businesses have created more than 8 million jobs while big businesses have eliminated more than 4 million jobs. The pandemic has only accelerated this trend: an April 2021 article from Forbes observes that there has been a boom in new business applications around the world, many from entrepreneurs who were laid off, saw that their industry was broken, and found ways to make a living on their own terms.
Speaking purely for myself, getting laid off in March 2020 gave me the time and space to see how flawed and wasteful the fashion industry was, study sustainable design principles, and envision a new fashion industry: one that values slow creation, skill, and craft. One that makes visible the time and labor that goes into creating a piece of clothing. One that transforms the trash the fast fashion industry creates into one of a kind works of art. That’s certainly a vision I want to buy into.
Incidentally, Bloomberg estimates that Amazon will earn $140 billion USD in revenue this holiday 2021 season. That’s about 46,667 Blue Origin space flights, or more than enough to happily fund thousands of makers and their workshops. So give the #GiftOfCraft today.
Image description: Teal graphic with a round closeup photo of a hand embroidered striped blouse. Orange, gold, turquoise, and yellow flowers have been embroidered onto the shoulder of the blouse. Words in gold text read, “Getting laid off in March 2020 gave me the time and space to envision a new fashion industry: one that values slow creation, skill, and craft. That’s certainly a vision I want to buy into." Give the #GiftOfCraft this holiday season. www.pochoir.nyc” Gold Art Deco frame ornaments surround the text at each corner of the graphic.
2. When You Give the #GiftOfCraft, You Support Artists and Your Local Community.
“It’s important to realize that by supporting the hard work of entrepreneurs, you support their dreams, as well. How can you not appreciate their passion for delivering you a piece of their imaginations, their heart, and courage?” - Hassan Rahim, designer and art director
Maybe this point is a little less tangible but no less important: when you shop for handcrafted goods, you’re buying a piece of creativity. Humans need art to survive: nothing emphasized this point to me more than how quickly so many people began wearing custom masks at the beginning of the pandemic. Creativity is central to our individual well-being and to our communities. We move to towns or cities because we want to be surrounded by the unique culture artists bring to these places.
Indeed, according to Civic Economics, an average of 48% of the purchase price of a small business’s product goes back into the community. At Pochoir.NYC, we buy all of our raw materials locally, as you can see in our Materials page. We buy embroidery supplies from stores in New York City’s Garment District, especially Daytona Trimmings; we source clothes from local thrift stores; and we even purchase upcycled fabric from non-profits like FABSCRAP, which resells leftover designer fabric to artists at low prices. Artists need this kind of local ecosystem of stores and suppliers to create, and we can’t support those networks without your help. Give the #GiftOfCraft to support artists and your local community.
3. When You Give the #GiftOfCraft, You’re Shopping Slowly and Sustainably
There are so many statistics floating around about how fast fashion hurts the environment, how the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries on the planet, or how cheap products are often made in unsafe conditions. But one reason to give the #GiftOfCraft is to bypass this system completely. Instead of buying into the capitalist narrative that we have to exploit people to get what we want, we can instead fund businesses that work slowly and carefully; that design their products with intention; and that preserve local traditions, customs, and heritage. Products that are designed slowly also use less waste: when we make items with respect and dignity, we aren’t likely to throw away the precious resources that go into them.
Image description: A teal green graphic with a photograph of orange, purple, white, and gold flowers surrounded by a gold oval frame. Gold text below the image reads, “When you give the #GiftOfCraft, you’re reducing your carbon footprint and allowing our planet to bloom. www.pochoir.nyc”
4. When You Give the #GiftOfCraft, You're Reducing Your Carbon Footprint and Allowing Our Planet to Bloom
This point is especially true if you end up shopping locally or buying from a maker that exclusively uses sustainable materials and packaging. At Pochoir.NYC, all of our packaging is made from recycled goods that are themselves recyclable. We also use upcycled raw materials for our products whenever possible. Upcycling means making something new out of something that would have been thrown out otherwise. For instance, when we embroider secondhand clothes, we’re adding value and desirability to old clothing. We actively discourage buying new clothes, which use up so much water, electricity, and carbon during manufacturing. For instance, our embroidered linen wrap blouse saves 121.6 days of drinking water, 4.9 miles of driving emissions, and 333 days of powering LED lights, according to ThredUp and Green Story. All of those savings add up when you buy something that’s made in limited batches instead of through mass production.
5. When You Give the #GiftofCraft, You Give Your Loved One a Unique, Thoughtful Gift That Can Never Be Replaced
Nuido, “The Way of the Needle,” the philosophy behind Japanese embroidery, partially rests on the idea that all embroidered pieces are a gift, and that the feelings of love and joy that rest in the embroiderer’s heart are reflected in the completed work. As I study Nuido more deeply and incorporate what I learn into upcoming projects, I see how true this philosophy is. When I look at each individual shirt or hoop, I can remember where I was when I embroidered the piece and what podcast I was listening to or how I was feeling when I stitched certain elements. Every hand embroidered piece is made with love, every stitch different no matter how many times I embroider the same design over and over. Each piece is complete in its uniqueness, never to be recreated, and that love and care is what makes a Pochoir.NYC piece the perfect gift.
Image description: Teal graphic with an oval photograph of two models, one taller and Black, the other shorter with brown skin, smiling at each other. They’re both wearing matching blue and white striped linen wrap tops with floral embroidery at the shoulder. The photograph is in an oval frame. Gold text below the photo reads, “When you give the #GiftOfCraft, you give your loved one a unique, thoughtful gift that can never be replaced. www.pochoir.nyc” Gold Art Deco elements frame the design at each corner.
BONUS. When You Give the #GiftOfCraft, You Enter a Special Giveaway!
Thank you so much for following us for the last year! As a thank you, we have a special gift for you. Follow us and tag three friends in Pochoir.NYC #GiftofCraft tagged posts to be entered to win a 25% off coupon code! We hope you share the gift of craft with your loved ones this holiday season… and maybe you’ll snag a present for yourself. Rules are below:
Contest ends midnight EST on December 10th, 2021. Entries received after midnight EST will not be considered.
You may enter the contest as many times as you want, but you must tag three different friends each time.
Contest is open only to US citizens as we currently only ship within the United States.
Per Instagram rules, this promotion is in no way sponsored, administered, or associated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm that they are 13+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram's terms of use.
Good luck and happy holidays!