On a freezing morning in July, 2022 Launceston creatives Fran Gee and Sabrina Gimpl opened the doors on their first Slow Craft Market.
A line of people wrapped around the building, braving the cold to peruse the offerings of nine stallholders.
As two small business owners, the pair felt there was a need for a new market in Northern Tasmania featuring slow and sustainably crafted items.
“When we started planning for our first market we didn’t know what to expect, we simply had a vision and a willingness to do all that we could to make it a success,” Fran said.
“We were all so overwhelmed by the support from our community and couldn’t believe the market was such a success!
“The best part was meeting all of the wonderful makers who we mainly knew from Instagram. They were all as beautiful as the pieces they create and we were so honoured to host them and get to know them.”
Two years on, they've fostered a community of likeminded makers and consumers, united by their love of environmentally-conscious, slowly-crafted pieces.
They now host two markets a year, featuring ceramics and wood carving through to textiles, clothing, jewellery and stained glass.
Fran is a self-taught seamstress who tried her hand at sewing back in 2018 in search of a meaningful hobby and hasn't looked back. From a light-filled sewing room in Launceston, she creates patchwork tote bags made from second-hand materials, sold under the label Fran's Bags.
She's since learned to crochet and has been incorporating this into her designs as well. Meanwhile Sabrina is a ceramicist who incorporates both wheel-throwing and handbuilding in her practice, sharing her talents through sabceramics.
“Ceramics certainly is a slow process as it can easily take up to four weeks for a lump of clay to be a finished piece but there is something to be said for appreciating the things we are forced to wait for,” Sabrina said.
She said ‘slow craft’ refers to both the time it takes a maker to complete a piece and the time it takes to master the craft and produce work worth selling.
“‘Slow’ is also an ode to the slow fashion movement which sheds light on the negative aspects of fast fashion in hopes to educate people on the importance of ethical consumerism,” she said.
“Supporting local makers is more environmentally-friendly as they don’t require large production facilities to produce their items so although it may cost more there are no hidden costs, cheap labour or unethical productions.
“Most importantly, slowly crafted pieces promote quality over quantity. Each individual piece is a unique display of craftsmanship that is not only purposeful in design but also in materials.”
Makers across Tasmania apply to showcase their work at the Slow Craft Market, detailing how long they spend making their pieces and how their process is environmentally conscious.
From a painter who frames their work using second-hand frames, to a weaver using recycled hand-spun yarn sourced from Australian businesses, a diverse range of people contribute their talents.
In an era of cheap dupes and fast, massproduced items, the positive community response to these markets is an encouraging sign of a slow craft movement that's building momentum.
“There are many layers to why handmade pieces are valued and important to people, for some it’s that sense of community when they purchase something that was made by another human, it could be the value they see in having a one of a kind piece in their home which helps orchestrate a sense of artistic harmony in their space – you will not get the same feeling from a mass-produced item,” Fran said.
The pair have floated the idea of having the Slow Craft Market on tour in different locations around Tassie, but will never stray from their island home, to keep the love in their local economy.
The Slow Craft Market will return to Launceston on Saturday August 3. It will be the biggest market to date, featuring around 30 makers from around Tasmania with a variety of crafts on offer. Stay up to date @the.slow.craft.market
This article first appeared in Slow Journal, issue 14 'Folk', June 2024.
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