FEATURE
ARTS & CRAFTS Epoch
The arts & crafts
movement
Through three lockdowns and a long winter, arts & crafts has experienced a resurgence in popularity. But as the country (hopefully) makes it way towards the end of Covid restrictions, will interest continue and help toy retailers keep their tills ringing?
W
ith long days at home Zoom - or even having a bit of a lie-in? stretching out ahead of Paper weaving and slime making came them, and with school and out tops for the length of time and the low outside clubs cancelled, noise levels, with origami, painting rocks it’s no surprise that children (along with and jewellery making not far behind. teenagers and adults) have Meanwhile, arts & craft retailer been getting creative to Hobbycraft has predicted keep busy over the past year. some of the top trends for With With parents working lockdown easing 2021. ‘Cottagecore’ is a trend at home, keeping children on country-style and coming to an focused occupied (and quiet) has been living, cosy interiors, floral an important part of the day - end, we still prints and celebrates a return and arts & crafts products fulfil believe people to traditional crafts such as that need. But which are the sewing, knitting, home baking will be cautious best arts & crafts for keeping and pottery. and life will not kids occupied? Crafts that use resin have go back to total Online DIY community also soared in popularity, normality for DIYS.com decided to put as has sustainable crafting a while still this to the test, sending (upcycling, recycling etc). popular craft activities to Crafting for mindfulness is Jital Rao, Craft Buddy more than 1,500 parents, also important. Searches on and asking them to time the Hobbycraft website for how long children were occupied for cross stitch, embroidery, colouring books and to assess the noise levels! So what and scrapbooks were up 224%, 209% 198% can you tell your customers who are and 225% respectively during lockdown. looking for something to keep their So it’s clear that the past year has been a children occupied while they are on a great boost for the sector. But how are toy work call, or undertaking an interview on suppliers going to keep up the momentum
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of this huge interest in arts & crafts? At Fiesta Crafts it’s about nostalgia, says MD Andrew Bacon: “We have consistently seen an increase in parents wanting to engage their children in arts & crafts activities and this began even before the pandemic. Parents are looking for products that take children away from
Great Gizmos 32
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