Maybe I’m missing something, but this just sounds like Etsy to me. Or try any local craft show or farmer’s market. I mean, I’ve seen the t-shirt customizing services in the mall — the printers to do that at mass scale used to be high five-figure, six-figure expenses and now they’re like $10,000. So I get that the technology costs of “small batch” are making it possible to produce larger batch sizes than a few at a time, which gives the artisans more reach in a way, because they have more inventory to sell.

But the story of the benefits are the same as they’ve always been —I feel like this is a big industry rediscovering something they had consigned to the dustbin and now suddenly realized it’s still thriving.

It’s no secret. I love local brands and experiential retail, so naturally, I want this to be true. I’d like to see micro-designers in all verticals take a run at fast fashion for a whole series of reasons.

Having said that, there’s a lot of work to be done as a micro-designer to ensure that they inspire trust for the consumer. Etsy artists sell limited quantities because that’s what consumers are willing to risk — small purchases of artisan crafts where the expectations of product quality are modest.

If the micro-designer can break through and inspire trust and convey craftsmanship, they’ll be able crack more serious price-ranging categories like jewelry or shoes.

Just a thought … if I were a big manufacturer, I’d be partnering with some of these micro-designers to build fantastic pop-up opportunities.

We all see the power of micro-influencers on retail and fashion in general, however of equal importance is the emergence of the micro-designers. In our digital-first, agile, social media-driven fashion market, micro-designers are closer to the changing market landscape, trends, shifts and can respond far more aggressively as compared to traditional retailers.

Fast fashion has the mechanisms, agile supply chain and the infrastructure necessary to leverage the micro-designer influencer’s reach and social media presence. The micro designer approach could work extremely well with retail pop-up formats, special events and exclusive VIP offerings. Instagram is also a digital commerce playground where these micro-designers will have a more level playing field with the micro-influencers.

It will be very interesting to see how everything plays out in the coming months.

Isn’t every new designer a micro-designer? Having started two apparel companies myself, I had to move from contract seamstresses/tailors to building out my own factory to control fit and quality. A 500 piece cutting ticket is a big deal, even to a large retailer doing their own private label brand. I applaud the apparel Maker renaissance, thriving in many cities including my own Portland, Oregon. At the end of the day, even for the Maker movement, economics of scale keep a Maker in business. PR does not pay for piece goods and seamstresses/tailors, let alone all the other costs involved in building cool and great products.

I love the idea of micro-designers; I buy from them whenever I can. The difference between a micro-designer and fast fashion is that I am getting a quality, handmade, often bespoke piece. Micro-designers listen to their customers. The biggest complaint we hear from female shoppers in consumer focus groups is that they can’t find what they want in traditional stores because the garments are too young, too old or poorly sized. If she wears anything over a size 4 fashion designers don’t want to dress her. Those of us who wear — gasp — a double-digit size are out of luck: In the world of fashion I am a house. It doesn’t matter where I am, chances are I will walk out empty-handed. You can read about my disastrous search for a mother of the groom dress here. So I embrace micro-designers and I think it makes sense for them to partner with traditional retailers. My partner and I have worked in the creative industries since we started our company. Partnerships between indie designers and… Read more »