Jessica Herman

LA has flea markets, New York has street vendors and Chicago has the Indie Designer Fashion Market.

Say goodbye to overhead costs and a disconnect between designers and consumers--the Indie market has grand plans to revolutionize your shopping habits. The brainchild of co-founder and creative director Sally Schwartz, the market will unite shoppers and producers in a monthly outdoor boutique setting. Schwartz worked with the School of the Art Institute, a handful of local fashion journalists, a pool of graduates from Chicago's many design programs and any up-and-coming avant-garde designers she knew of to create a unique Chicago marketplace for original design modeled after Soho's Market NYC.

The market is being held in conjunction with the Chicago Antique Market and is intended to appeal to visitors and locals seeking a "unique shopping experience." At press time, the roster included twenty artists working in mixed media ranging from glitzy crochet wears to hand-painted purses. Merchandise will average $100 to $300 and Schwartz emphasizes that all designers can create customized and couture looks equivalent to that found in Barneys.

"You've got these giant stores and they cannot afford to buy from individual designers," she says, comparing the market to the artist's guild of past eras. "With fashion there's so much mass-produced junk; we're going back to the way people used to make things."

The Indie Designer Fashion Market begins May 29 and will be held the last Sunday of every month from 8am to 4pm at Plumber's Hall (1300 West Randolph). Current plans extend through October, but Schwartz hopes the market soon becomes a four-season tradition.

(2005-05-24)

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