Las Vegas Market Partners with Aid to Artisans
Furniture World News Desk on
11/24/2017
Las Vegas Market recently announced that an exclusive new partnership with the leading non-profit economic development firm Aid to Artisans will bring 20 first-time artisan exhibitors to the Winter 2018 Las Vegas Market, January 28-February 1, 2018, extending the Market’s offerings of handmade global crafts through Aid to Artisans’ inaugural “Training for Entrepreneurs in Artisan Markets” (TEAM) initiative.
"Las Vegas Market is taking on a vital and important role in the growth and development of artisan-crafted merchandise through this exciting new partnership with Aid to Artisans,” said Dorothy Belshaw, president of Gift Leasing and Chief Marketing Officer, International Market Centers. “This is a brand new industry offering that is unique to Las Vegas Market, and one that represents the next step in the evolution of our presentation of handcrafted and maker-produced goods. As the nation’s fastest growing gift and home décor market and the leading furniture marketplace in the western U.S., Las Vegas Market offers Aid to Artisans exhibitors a unique opportunity to tap into a large and thriving retail customer base from the western United States.”
The new TEAM initiative from Aid to Artisans is an on-site coaching and mentoring program for emerging international artisan businesses. The program will use Aid to Artisans’ holistic training and trade show preparation process to help artisan entrepreneurs worldwide grow their businesses, expand into new markets, and achieve sustainable growth while exhibiting at Las Vegas Market. The Aid to Artisan showcase will be located in Pavilion 1, alongside the Market’s GIFT, HANDMADE and DESIGN LIFESTYLE temporary exhibit categories.
“Aid to Artisans is excited to have the opportunity to partner with Las Vegas Market,” said Bill Kruvant, president of Creative Learning, Aid to Artisans’ parent organization. “As Las Vegas Market is rapidly expanding, becoming a beacon for under-serviced West Coast buyers, we believe the partnership is a perfect match and anticipate a long and productive partnership with Las Vegas Market.”
The Aid to Artisans’ TEAM showcase in Pavilion 1 will feature 20 first-time exhibitors offering handmade gifts, home décor and accessories from South and Central America, Asia, as well as the Caribbean and Africa. Buyers will have access to exquisite hand-woven textiles, batik, natural fiber baskets, handmade jewelry and much more.
To date, confirmed exhibitors in the TEAM showcase will feature products from Central Asia, Colombia, Guatemala, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Turkey and Vietnam. Ark of Crafts is a socially responsible Turkish supplier committed to bridging rich Turkish artisanal traditions and ethical, time-honored processes with modern living, offering a selection of artisan-crafted, home décor gifts and accessories as well as exquisite hand-loomed textiles. HoonArts Fair Trade LLC is one of only three Fair Trade Federation members working directly with artisans in Central Asia to provide suzani hand-embroidered home decor items, hand-woven silk ikat scarves, hand-felted wool on silk wraps, and hand-carved wooden combs, barrettes, toys and Christmas ornaments. Indus Heritage Trust is preserving and reviving Pakistan's indigenous crafts by working with 2,600 grassroots-level embroidery workers to create a unique collection of home décor and accessories. Nomades is a fashion and design studio working with Peruvian artisans on fashion and home décor lines inspired by Mochica culture. SAPIA is a Fair Trade Colombian company that produces beautiful bracelets, handbags, personal accessories, jewelry made of seeds, gifts and accessories. YUMAJAI, is an ethical fashion brand based in Colombia offering fresh and colorful handmade earrings, necklaces, rings, bags and unique accessories.
Aid to Artisans has spent 40 years creating economic opportunities for well over 100,000 artisans in more than 110 countries; and during the past 20 years, the organization’s efforts have leveraged nearly $230 million in retail sales. This income has empowered 125,000 artisans in 72 emerging regions of the world. More Aid to Artisans information is available at www.aidtoartisans.org.
“Aid to Artisan’s partnership with Las Vegas Market continues to bolster its mission to empower artisan enterprises around the world,” said Bill Kruvant, president of Creative Learning, Aid to Artisans’ parent organization “TEAM has been developed for those who have completed our signature Market Readiness Program (MRP) that we have been offering for 25 years in New York. This new initiative provides a framework to advance entrepreneurship in the artisan-based business as well as the introduction of fresh concepts in market-ready products not yet seen at Las Vegas Market.”
Las Vegas Market has been experiencing unprecedented growth in handcrafted merchandise, and 200+ craft resources will be featured in permanent showrooms and in temporary exhibition space this winter. The largest concentration of handcrafted resources is presented in HANDMADE at the Pavilions at Las Vegas Market, which showcases a juried collection of some 70 exhibitors of handcrafted, artisanal and designer/maker products. Pavilion 1 is also home to Artisanal LA, which showcases some 30 Los Angeles based makers of gift and home décor products.
More about Las Vegas Market: Las Vegas Market is the nation’s fastest growing gift and home décor market and the leading furniture marketplace in the western U.S., presenting 4,000+ gift, home décor and furniture resources in an unrivaled market destination. Las Vegas Market features thousands of gift, furniture and home décor lines, allowing for cross-category commerce among these industries. The Winter 2018 Las Vegas Market runs January 28 to February 1, 2018. For more information, visit www.lasvegasmarket.com.
More about International Market Centers, L.P.: Las Vegas Market is produced by International Market Centers, L.P. (IMC), the world’s largest operator of premier showroom space for the furnishings, home décor and gift industries. International Market Centers owns and operates 12.2 million square feet of world-class exhibition space in High Point, N.C. and Las Vegas. IMC’s mission is to build and operate an innovative, sustainable, profitable and scalable platform for the furnishings, home décor and gift industries. For more information on IMC, visit http://imcenters.com/.