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Consumers urged to support local designers and makers amid cost-of-living squeeze
Consumers are being urged to consider buying Irish-made crafts and designs amid the ongoing cost-of-living squeeze, as spending in the wider economy retrenches.
The Irish craft and design sector is described as being very significant to the overall economy with up to 18,000 enterprises employing over 50,000 people.
The sector is estimated to generate over €3 billion in gross value to the economy and over €53 billion in turnover, putting it on a par with hospitality, food and construction.
The Design and Crafts Council of Ireland first launched a campaign to promote Irish design and crafts during the pandemic.
The ‘Made Local, Made to Last’ campaign is now entering its third year as the industry and the wider economy faces a new set of challenges around costs and an impending global economic slowdown.
“We really know how bad things are on the ground and we want to get cash flow into those businesses,” Rosemary Steen, CEO of the Design and Craft Council said.
“It’s double-gifting effectively when you buy from a crafts person because every euro you spend with a local person, you’re basically giving €4 back to the community through a multiplier effect and this is where the power of support from the Irish people came into its own during Covid and we’re asking people to engage with the campaign again,” she explained.
Ms Steen pointed to the sustainability of hand-crafted goods that are made in the local community with ‘no planes involved.’
“It’s a way to show support for local communities. We have 1,358 makers involved and 350 retailers have come on board. The retail environment is quite cut-throat but to get 350 of them to come together to support a group of makers shows how important they feel this is,” she said.
All participating makers and retail outlets are listed in the ‘Made Local, Made to Last’ directory which is available on the Made Local website.
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