We are excited to share with you that Mollie
Makes has launched the inaugural Mollie Makes
Handmade Awards to discover and celebrate the most exciting new UK designers in
the handmade community, who are turning their hobbies into
careers.
More and more creatives are
turning their backs on their previous lifestyle to make their passion a career.
Mollie Makes, the UK’s number one contemporary handmade title, is launching its
first ever awards to celebrate these modern-day designers, and help others turn
their hobby into a business. The Mollie Makes Handmade Awards are about
discovering, celebrating and showcasing the work of some of the best designers
in this growing handmade community.
More people are crafting than
ever before.
● 71% of British females said they had taken part
in a craft activity in the previous year.
● There are now 17.4 million women taking part in
these activities, up 11 % on 2011.
● Of the 7.1 million British women who have tried
a new craft in the last 12 months, 41% of them were aged under
35.*
● And increasing numbers of designer makers are
looking to make money from their handmade products.*
Some of the most popular
crafts are: Knitting (7.2m), Card
making (5.8m), Home décor sewing (4.8m), Paper crafting(4.7m), Jewellery making (2.9m).
Katherine Raderecht, Head of
Lifestyle at Future, says: “Contemporary handmade crafting is a thriving scene
and Mollie Makes is at its centre. As more and more young people are getting
involved – and using their creative talent and skills to start businesses and
social enterprises we wanted the Mollie Makes Handmade Awards to celebrate their
achievements. And we’re so pleased to have a stellar array of judges and
involvement from John Lewis, Etsy, the Guardian, Crafty Fox Market, Sew Over It
and Lisa Levis London.”
Prizes on offer include a
day with Etsy getting business advice on everything from digital marketing to
setting up an Etsy store,mentoring sessions with Lisa
Comfort from Sew Over It and designer Lisa Levis, £500 prize money and coverage
in Mollie Makes. All entrants will receive a free Etsy store listing, for their
first 20 products, and 30% off Moo business cards.
The five categories in the
awards are:
● The Youth Award
● The Start Up Award
● The Established Business Award
● The Social Enterprise Award
● The Creative Idea Award
The judging panel consists
of:
● Matt
Doris – Leader of Etsy’s International Community
Programmes team
● Vanessa
Bowerman – Buyer, Haberdashery, Crafts & Fabrics, John
Lewis
● Kate
Carter – Life and Style Editor for The
Guardian
● Emma
Jones – Founder of Enterprise Nation, business expert and
author
● Lisa
Levis – Designer/Creative Director
The judging panel will be chaired by Lara Watson, Editor of Mollie Makes.
Lara adds: “Since Mollie Makes
launched three years ago it has established itself as the number one choice for
this new generation of designers. Mollie is at the heart of this flourishing
community, reaching over 300,000 creative individuals, and showcasing the best
designers and makers. We are so excited to discover the next generation of
design talent through the Mollie Makes Handmade Awards.”
Competition entries close on May
25. The winners will be decided at an event on 11 June at the Proud Archivist in
London.
Good Luck!
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