Brand Spotlight: Handmade
Shoppe Object plays host to the most compelling representation of the home and gift market — from industry icons to niche makers. While impossible to choose favorites, each week we introduce you to brands you need to know now. Let this serve as a guide on your never-ending but ever-fruitful quest for the beautiful, the inspired, the innovative and the well-made.
Hey Blue Handmade
Hey Blue Handmade reimagines classic forms in nature-inspired, hand-dyed colorways. The brand offers handmade bags, baskets, statement vessels, wall hangings, and other home goods and accessories in humble natural fibers and evocative hues. Hey Blue pieces are strong minimalist forms that radiate organic warmth, meeting at the aesthetic intersection of the wild and the crafted.
Lio&Linn
Lio&Linn handcrafts effortlessly elegant jewelry from their studio in Brooklyn, NY. Ethereal, meaningful, and constantly evolving, the pieces are made with 14k recycled gold and conflict free precious stones. Masumi, the designer behind Lio&Linn, aims to honor the process of "thinking with your hands" by embracing the kind of fine details found in art and craft.
Andy Koupal
Andy Koupal is a glass artist and designer based in Detroit. His work is an evolution of traditional glassblowing techniques with a focus on unique, modern design. Each piece is handmade by the artist.
Úna Burke Leather
Úna Burke Leather is a female-owned brand designed for a discerning customer who appreciates quality and creativity. Each piece is entirely handcrafted in a little leather Atelier in the West of Ireland, using full-grain UK and Italian Vegetable-Tanned cowhides and joined using solid brass hardware. These precious materials are worked with age-old craft techniques, handed down to Úna through five generations of leatherworkers and dressmakers, and then designed with a contemporary aesthetic. The results is a unique product – a future heirloom that will age with attitude and remain timeless in style.
Polepole
Polepole animals are hand-carved from eco-sustainable wood, dried in an oven, then finally finished by hand, polished and hand-painted. Named for the Swahili word for “slowly,” the endearing creatures are carefully made to be round, smooth, and heartwarmingly cute.
URsa
URSA is a handmade knitwear company founded by US-born, Argentina-based artist Elizabeth Gleeson. Through collaboration with women artisans, the brand connects to the human element of design and handcrafted production. The project evolved organically through a desire to preserve traditional textile heritage, appreciation for contemporary handcraft, and a commitment to bringing social development through economic empowerment. The label is designed in Buenos Aires and produced entirely by hand using locally-sourced natural fibers in communities in Argentina and Bolivia.
