Fash n Treasure market Canberra 17th July

This new market gave both sellers and buyers a fantastic day to remember. So many great things about it. I can only heap praise on the organiser--Jane. In her 20s and wow! what an entrepeneur and enterprising determined girl! Kind, helpful and friendly too --what more could you want in a market organiser. I have known her from other markets and fairs where she and her Mum and Dad run a successful business selling exquisite hand made fashion pieces, made of and with, vintage and antique Japanese kimonos.

Whatever there has been wrong with the variety of markets I have been to over the years this market managed to attend to all the issues......I do realise though, often it is a compromise between getting the right venue available and being able to give perfect service. Anyway--this is what I saw as the positives for this market......

*undercover--no wind, dust, sun and rain problems

*ease of access--no stairs, lifts, rough ground, long distance transport of your goods, being choked for space

*upbeat music with a live DJ--great positive mood music --makes for less of those awkward quiet moments. Attracts and keeps the young (and young at heart) crowd who are into fashion and recycling probably more than the older generations. We were able to request songs as well, and were told to ask for the music to be turned down if too loud.

*very reasonable stall prices

*no entry fee--more important than many think.

*2 coffee vans--very important!

*regular visits by organisers to make sure all was ok.

*lots of bins--no need to go hunting and no problems with overfill.

*very helpful staff

*eftpos facility--great for sellers who don't have a machine....and for buyers who may have run out of cash!

* change rooms provided

*wonderful communication via email--so much attention to detail in there.

*a very sweet gesture of a little pink paper bag with necessary info and survival chocolates waiting for us when we arrived at our stall.

*and lastly.... obviously brilliant extensive advertising via the usual media channels and a facebook and blog site--the large turnup of sellers and buyers for a first time market showed us this. Many positive comments were given and heard so that is great.

The other interesting aspect I saw was that the market was a mix of sellers--new items, upcoming designers, secondhand, vintage and retro. I think it worked well--people had a choice. Even though many wouldn't be seen dead in a 2nd hand item, and some vintage fans go completely nuts with purist era dressing right down to underpants, nowadays more and more want to use a mix of items to get the right look and save money, as well as think of the environment.

Next market is in September--will keep you posted! I can't wait! The theme will be racing fashions!

Below are some photos. I couldn't take many as my camera had run out of battery--apologies....

This photo shows the fantastic Miso Chic stall and a view of part of the market. Miso Chic sells pieces made from recycled vintage and antique kimono fabric. Their workmanship is perfection and their designs appealing and different but still very wearable. They have hairpieces, handbags, clothes, jewellery and more.
This stall caught my eye with their snazzy handmade clothes full of amazing detail and pzazz. Redfox they call themselves. I took a business card but have promptly misplaced it. The two young girls were dressed totally cool. It seems they go places many others wouldn't. Imagination, style and talent is something they certainly have been abundantly rewarded with. It seems they use recycled clothing, and bits n pieces that others may not even think of. In this photo you can't see the jacket very well but it was incredible. It was completely sequinned and jewelled, with feathers and large military style buttons as added features. The crazy upturned lapels took the jacket to a whole other level. They also had extremely cute but funky dresses with hints of 70s prairie style, Alice in Wonderland and 80s glam. All were very wearable though, but such unique pieces you would be sure no one else would have. At $160 per dress and made to order I think that's more than worth it.
This photo shows a rack I had for sale of retro 80s/90s beaded and velvet pieces. Velvet is becoming popular this winter with a comeback of new romantic and dandy styling--I don't think it's reached its popularity peak yet though--maybe next year. Guess who bought the beaded vest? Yes, the girls from Redfox!

Here are my Doc Martens I had for sale. Docs are genius shoes in so many ways--they have an amazing history, are comfortable, long wearing, statement shoes and extremely versatile in how they can be worn. I love how a basic work shoe from the 40s can be turned into a rebellious shoe, then a forward fashion statement shoe. I also love how the company has not been backward in coming forward with a crazy variety of colours and designs. Look up their website--it has some great information worth knowing. I sell my coloured docs for around the $200 mark and patterned ones for around 260. Basic black around 140 and those black and slate pebble pattern ones are $160. They may sound a little expensive but I am in no great hurry to sell them as I see them as investment pieces and am more than happy to have a collection of them. The Made in England ones are most highly desirable of course, as the new ones are made in China or Thailand. The quality whilst still great is just not quite the same as the older 80s/90s ones. So treasure your Docs if you have them. I don't think they will ever really go out of style and if they do you can be sure they will be back again.