Inside the Handmade Revolution

Jessica Ames Kukreti
Olson Zaltman
Published in
5 min readNov 12, 2014

Why do we suddenly have an entire generation acting like our grandparents?

It’s not difficult to see the vintage and handmade authenticity trends dominating popular culture right now. It’s everywhere we look, especially in the Millennial generation. They’re quilting, canning, brewing beer, gardening and thrift store shopping. They take perfect pictures on their mobile phones, yet apply hazy, vintage filters that mimic old, imperfect film. It seems as if many of their behaviors and preferences are reminiscent of our grandparents, yet they’re eating homemade, small batch $12 chocolate bars.

Michael and Rick Mast of Mast Brothers Chocolate; Brooklyn, NYC

On the surface, the handmade movement seems rooted in saving money by “doing it yourself,” but in reality it’s a $29 billion industry that has nearly doubled in the last decade. Millennials make up more than half of those who participate in it and they spend twice as much on it. All these paradoxes perplexed us. We explored why this trend exists, and how it delivers on some of the deepest, most universal needs of Millennials.

When we began diving into this trend, we took note of how the media was portraying this generation. NBC News urged, “Hey Millennials: Time to start spending already!The Atlantic grimly shared “Indisputable Evidence That Millennials Have It Worse Than Any Generation in 50 Years.” CNN headlines declared, “Scarred by recession, Millennials Invest like Grandpa.” Like the Los Angeles Times said, it certainly sounded like “Millennials are the most financially conservative generation to come around since the Great Depression.” A key research question and hypothesis centered on whether the recession was the driving force behind Millennials valuing authenticity and perpetuating the handmade movement.

After conducting exploratory ZMET® interviews with Millennials, we discovered that while the nation’s economic woes played an important part of this mindset, the needs that the handmade movement fulfills go to a much deeper, richer place beyond the mindset of the Great Recession.

Participant imagery from ZMET research

The imagery that participants brought to their interviews included antiquated photographs of brow-beaten cowboys and Native Americans proudly standing on the desert plains. During the ZMET interviews, they compared themselves to explorers discovering new lands, or said things like “I always look at how this country was before, you know, white men came here” or “We have all of these things in our country that we can use ourselves that can sustain us completely.” These trends went completely beyond our original hypotheses; what was really going on with the handmade trend was that Millennials see this as a new America, and one they are pioneering.

Participant imagery from ZMET research

There are several key factors that drive the handmade movement. First, Millennials see the world as a very scary, unpredictable place and handmade and DIY prepares them for it. This is not to be taken lightly; it confirms and validates other trend research on this generation. Unconsciously feel they’ve been deceived and lied to. They are acutely aware of all the scandals that have happened during their lifetimes; Enron and other financial crimes, oil spills, the rising cost of college education, and the housing and economic collapses. The movement puts the power in seemingly new, untainted hands. At its core, this movement represents possessing survival skills in a world they don’t seem to trust. This isn’t metaphoric survival, as being a part of the handmade movement gives them the necessary skills to survive; it empowers them and arms them with deep confidence.

Participant imagery from ZMET research

Secondly, the relationship that Millennials have with the Internet, smartphones, and social media is not what it may seem. They are quick to recognize the potential downsides to technology. While technology does connect them, the handmade movement connects them in a very rich, much deeper way. It enables them to be connected to the people around them, their own sense of creativity and imagination, the communities they live in, the foods they eat, and even times and events in our history that they never experienced.

The handmade movement and revolution also allows Millennials to feel that they’re preserving the legacies of these lost cultures or times. They want to preserve the richness of ideas and inspiration that came from past generations and from other cultures. They fear those birthrights are something that we are losing today. Some Millennials feel that it’s their responsibility to preserve and honor our past.

Participant imagery from ZMET research

Additionally, in a world where we constantly seek perfection, the handmade movement reminds us that there is beauty and joy in imperfection. Much of the richness in the handmade movement is that it’s a part of the real world; because we so often strive for perfection, this is almost an outright rejection of those lofty goals. This movement embraces imperfection and demonstrates the power of real human touch.

The handmade trend has important implications for branding, marketing, new product innovation, or simply connecting it to the larger narrative that’s currently being established about the Millennial generation.

  1. Leverage your heritage: Heritage brands are well-suited to tap into this movement and these insights about Millennials. Heritage storytelling can resonate extremely well and should be promoted. If you are a newer brand, embrace your creation story and heritage, limited though it may be, in a sincere and authentic way.
  2. Lead the revolt against technology: Can your brand leverage the fact that sometimes technology becomes too much and you need to take a time-out or go back to the basics?
  3. Embrace imperfection: Imperfection is an incredibly powerful driver for this movement and Millennials.

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Jessica Ames Kukreti
Olson Zaltman

Applying unconscious mind science, analysis and insight to popular culture and trends