6 Reasons Why Hong Kong Handmade Goods Are So Loveable
“When you buy a from a small business, an actual person does a happy dance." Anonymous
5 Mins Read
Hong Kong Handmade goods keep traditional craftsmanship alive in the modern world and bring uniqueness to the community. There were fewer opportunities for your local makers, artists, and designers to meet you in the past few months but their passions for creating things haven’t stopped. Passionate people are often givers. Many artisans continue to pursue their passion and spread positivity to the community through their creations during challenging times. The artists who add colours to your life with paint, the craftsmen who make things with upcycled materials to keep Mother Earth healthy, the carpenters who liven up your home in your favourite style, the designers who came up with meaningful designs for you to express gratitude and the illustrators who drew positive illustrations to bring a smile to your face.
Everything is more beautiful when it is made with heart. When you shop for handmade goods in Hong Kong, you are helping individuals to turn an idea into reality and support a dream. If you are thinking to send someone you care about a gift or treating yourself, support your local community. There are various reasons why handmade products are loved by many people, and here are some common ones.
1. Hong Kong Handmade goods support the local economy
Small handmade businesses in Hong Kong are run by independent artisans, and entrepreneurs who pursue their passion and bring fresh innovative ideas to the market. When you buy handmade products, not only do you contribute to a local maker’s living and more importantly, you are supporting an individual’s dream. When you purchase an artisan’s creation, it is a recognition to the maker that you see something they see. For many creative folks, having someone cherish their creations is one of the biggest motivations.
2. Handmade goods are great for Mother Earth
Handmade goods in Hong Kong are very often environmentally friendly and sustainable as most of them are not mass-produced but instead, are made by hand in small batches. This results in fewer materials being wasted during the production process. Many makers would also make good use of natural materials or up-cycled materials for their creations. Plastic is not a common material for handmade products. The use of factory machines is limited for handmade goods compared to manufactured products and locally handmade products don’t require to be shipped by plane for sales. These two factors help reduce carbon footprints and lower carbon output during the production process.
Hand-printed Bao Illustration Baby Onesies by katweiss
3. Hong Kong Handmade goods offer a better buying experience
Most of the locally handmade businesses are run by independent artisans rather than big corporations. It adds a personal touch to your shopping experience and allows you to learn more about the story of the creations. When you purchase a piece of handmade goods from an independent artisan, you are working directly with the maker themselves rather than a shop assistant. They can provide you with more details about the product if you are interested to learn more as it is a baby that they create. Many makers would also be willing to provide some added value services to enhance your buying experience. If you are making a purchase as a gift, many makers are happy to add a small simple blessing note to your recipient. For many passionate makers, they care about how much a customer cherish their creations more than how much they are making out of it. Have you heard of this quote? “When you buy a from a small business, an actual person does a happy dance.” Anonymous
4. Handmade goods are Unique and thoughtful
You can often find handmade products in Hong Kong that are created by independent artisans come with originality and uniqueness as they are created based on the artisans' ideas and are not mass-produced. Each piece is made by the independent artisan themselves, adding individuality to the final creations. Many makers would also offer small customisation/personalisation to fit your needs; making your purchase even more meaningful. Handmade goods are thoughtful and meaningful as they often come with a beautiful story. The passion behind the creation makes them far more just a product itself. When you are getting a handmade gift to someone special, it shows to people you care about that you have put thoughts into getting a gift to them rather than simply getting something from a large shopping mall.
5. Hong Kong Handmade goods come with a passionate story
Handmade goods in Hong Kong often come with a passion story. There is always a reason why an artisan decided to create a product. When you spend time learning about their story, you will know that many of them are trying to make a positive impact through their creations, solve an existing problem they found and spread positivity to the world. It could be giving upcycled material a new purpose to raise awareness of the benefit of recycling, combining their artwork with pre-loved clothing so people can appreciate their work in a meaningful way, using art to share inspirational messages of life, or spreading positivity through their designs. There is a saying that when a maker creates something, they leave a part of themselves in it. When you own a piece of creative work, it feels so real compared to manufactory products as it is created by a real person, you feel everything that comes with it and in some way you find their story resonating.
6. Hong Kong Handmade goods support the Continuity of traditional Craftsmanship
Many handmade goods in Hong Kong are made using traditional skills and knowledge. Wool felting is one of the oldest textile techniques and it is hardly found in shops these days as the making processes required human resources and time. The art of screen printing/hand-printing was first introduced to the market back in the Song Dynasty and has been made popular in the 19th century. The skill of screen-printing by hand is less seen with the replacement of machine-printed work. The art of hand-craved mahjong is also slowly fading away in the modern world with the increase of machine-made mahjong. When you purchase handmade goods, you are supporting the continuity of traditional craftsmanship, cherishing cultural heritage, and valuing a traditional skill.
Thank you for being an appreciative reader as always. Here are a few common reasons why handmade goods are loved by many people and of course there are many more. Sometimes it is just because. Just because you want to contribute to the local community, just because you want to put a smile on someone's face, or just because. If you enjoyed reading this blog post, please share it with your family and friends. Thank you and we will be sharing with you stories of craftsmanship, and culture again very soon. Until then, take care.
August 2020
About the Author
The Qraftie blog aims to provide you stories related to craftsmanship, culture and lifestyle around Hong Kong.
