Boutique Design Markets - A City Guide

There's a new shopping trend popping up in urban meccas over the country; boutique designer's markets which give design savvy shoppers direct access to the unique and stylish wares of emerging local designers, crafters and artists.

Unlike your traditional markets, theres no importers of balinese jewellery or sprawling bazaar of bric-a-brac stalls. Boutique markets are all about independent designers getting together to create a unique shopping experience where the items are locally made, with an innovative and creative styling which sets them apart from the usual retail goods. Sound like your way to spend a weekend? Well, here's my city by city guide to the best boutique markets around the country.

Brisbane
The Southbank Lifestyle Markets are a weekly affair down in the heart of the riverside parklands, but it's the quarterly Young Designer's Market which is a special event only open to new and emerging talent to purvey their goodies. The next market is coming up soon on Sunday June 8th and promises to be a great day, featuring range of fashion and accessories, jewellery, homewares, object design furniture and arts.

The Designers Emporium is a relatively new enterprise set up by two creative mums on Brisbane's Northside to support local talent in the area. Their boutique markets takes place underneath the expansive indoor marquee at the Everton Park hotel on the first Sunday of every month. With a range of stalls including handmade skincare, accessories, kids clothes (and of course stationery by yours truly) its a great family friendly way to spend a Sunday (the hotel has a great kids play area to keep them out of you hair while you browse).

Other markets which feature emerging design in Brisbane are The Valley Markets and the Riverside Markets.

Sydney
Paddington is well reknowned as Sydney's high brow retail hub, but it now plays host to the quarterly Hope Street Markets. Due to its growth over the last few seasons, the markets have now moved to a bigger venue (Paddo town hall) and now hosts over 60 designer's stall featuring all sorts of stylish goodies, including jewellery, fashion and art. Plus with live music, food, cafes and a real buzz about it, it's promised to be a great day out all round.

One of the highlights of Sydney Design Week is the Young Blood Designers Markets which takes place at the Powerhouse Museum down in Ultimo. As the name suggests, the market is bursting with up and coming new designers with many a new idea to share. Each year is pretty much a who's who of the year's design graduates so its well worth the look. Plus with all the great stuff on at the Powerhouse during design week, its another excuse to get down there! This year's festivitites take place over 4 days from Thursday 14th august through to Sunday 17th August.

Another item in the Sydney design week calender is the Designboom Sydney Mart 2008. Although its technically touting itself as a 'sales exhibition event', its basically working on the same premise as a designer's market; buying limited edition items directly from the designer.

Other Sydney markets which feature local designers include the Kirribilli Markets, Paddington Markets and (coming soon) The Rock's Designers Markets.

Melbourne
In true Melbournian style, the city has lead the way in the realm of designer's markets.

In conjunction with the Melbourne International Design Festival, the National Design Centre down at Federation square hosts the annual Melbourne Design Markets. Being a highly anticipated parts of the festival and with affiliations to the NDC, you'd be right to expect a really high standard of product from this market. Look out for the various installations which look great in the industrial style locale of the underground carpark. This years's market takes place on Sunday 20th July from 10am-5pm.

The Sister's Market is a quarterly market which takes place down at Brunswick town hall. Run by, you guessed it, two sisters with a passion of craft and design, its full of some really cool handmade products for home, for baby of just for you! The next Sister's Market is on Saturday the 2nd August.

Magnolia Square is a quartlery event which runs throughout three days over a chosen weekend (Thur, Fri, Sat). Featuring over 150 stalls of artists, designers, stylists, craftspeople and gourmets, it's located at Malvern Town Hall. The next markets are Thursday the 29th - 31st May and the markets are open from 9am - 9pm.

Melbourne Made is an independant art/design market which takes place over 3 days at the St James Anglican Church Hall in Glen Iris. Lots of handmade and one-offs its got a real diversity of goods from knitwear, to fashion to affordable art.

Other note-worthy Melbourne design markets include Rose Street Markets and The Living Art Market down at St Kilda.

n.b. I know I havent included the other capitals, only because I dont know of any designer's markets in these towns, but if you are a resident of Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin et al, feel free to comment and leave any info on such events/markets in these towns!