Happy Friday everybody! We’re a bit late posting today since we’ve been out enjoying the Vancouver sunshine and building up our Vitamin D stores, knowing the weather will eventually return to rain here on the west coast… which brings us to today’s designer profile: Cassandra Bailey, designer and maker behind custom clothing and accessory line...Read More

Carrying on (see what I did there) with our Made To Order week, we’re profiling Jola V Designs, made by Jolanta Va. While not all her work is custom, Jolanta specializes in bags and accessories for the taller woman, a demographic that is often under-serviced by the fashion industry. We love the way Jolanta transforms...Read More

Like just about everyone else did today, we stared up at the sun to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse, because we didn’t want to miss out. I guess if they happened all the time, we wouldn’t really care about eclipses, or meteor showers, or any other celestial goings-on… which is why we’ve chosen...Read More

Ok, let’s admit something: I love shoes! I’ve often seen buying shoes as a way of purchasing the sense of opportunity, of possibility: where will I go and what will I do in these shoes? A way to hold onto something fleeting. In deciding to put First Pick together, one of our first calls was...Read More

In keeping with our men’s week theme, we are taking a look at Neil Singh’s leatherwork company Joesph Henry Workshop. Handcrafted leather goods, with custom stamping, give Neil’s work a bespoke feel that we are eager to see for ourselves at First Pick. We love the simplicity and craftsmanship of Joseph Henry Workshop, which perfectly...Read More

It is often overheard at handmade events that there is a distinct lack of options for men, a lack that we have duly noted. We believe in part this issue has been because there’s not really been a handmade venue to foster men’s clothing collections (beyond t-shirts), not for lack of local design talent. We...Read More

When we started thinking about doing our First Pick Handmade Market, we knew we wanted it to have the atmosphere of a boutique department store, which meant not only carrying clothing lines, but also skin care. Naturally, we wanted to keep things as natural as possible, so Element Botanicals was the perfect fit. Wildcrafted and handmade in...Read More

We’re kicking off Men’s Week with all Vegan Boot Company Anderson’s Boots, made right here in Vancouver. We are exited to see designer/maker Kevin Milne’s cruelty free line of traditionally crafted boots when he makes his market debut at First Pick Handmade. Rumour has it there will also be some selvedge denim at the show,...Read More

We are pleased to profile our favourite woodworker, the talented Adea Chung of Billy Would Designs. We love her eco-conscious, fully modern aesthetic, and are very excited to welcome her to our First Ever First Pick. We can’t wait to see what she’ll have at the show, and with each piece limited edition, we know...Read More

We’re shining a spotlight on all things woollen with our profile of Diane Zwickel, the designer and busy hands behind the hand-knit accessory line Zed Handmade. We love the colours and attention to detail Diane puts in her work, everything is considered and of the highest quality of craftsmanship. It’s warm outside, but winter is...Read More