LA shows the love for local designers, artists and makers of food.

This past weekend, local makers of food, fashion and art gathered at The California Market Center in LA for Unique LA’s Local Love event — the largest independent design show in the country. As a relatively new East Coast transplant, I welcomed the opportunity to meet and mingle with designers and makers on my new home-turf. The products at the show were all made in the U.S., so all the dollars spent during the weekend went straight towards stimulating LA’s design economy.

There was plenty of love-themed merchandise on display, perhaps because this was the perfect opportunity to buy a last-minute Valentine’s gift. We particularly liked the LA Love tees by MNKR and the sweet linen heart coin purses by Yellow Wallpaper.

Of course there were lots of cute tees and onesies for the little ones, emblazoned with everything from squirrels, whales and hearts, like at Jasper Wren, to LA-centric statements like the “I live and cry in LA” onesie from Kira.

The first thing that caught my eye when I entered the space (perhaps because it was right by the entrance door) was a tipi, surrounded by pillows, towels, book ends and coasters adorned with lovely graphic prints, all handmade in LA by Wolfum.

My nose directed me to my next favorite — coconut wax candles by Queen Bee’s Hive, scented with spa-grade essential oils. Topanga Candle Company uses vintage vessels such as tins, food containers and film canisters to hand pour the wax into, a creative way to give these objects a new life. You can even bring in your own vessel and they will make it into a candle for you.

Another company that creatively reuses our old stuff is My T-shirt Pillow who, as the name suggests, takes old tees and makes them into cozy pillows. I also loved the recycled cashmere scarves, made from thrifted sweaters, by Creature Cashmere and Stella Neptune.

There was a ton of great jewelry on display — some of my favorite were an action-provoking necklace in black letters by MNKR, a poetic banner necklace with butterflies by Fruition, message necklaces by Solstice LTD, recycled metal pieces by Tiffany Kunz, bold color and ceramic pieces by Kyyote, and pendant necklaces by Love Nail Tree (that camera is for all you bloggers out there).

For the boys — and the girls who steal their clothing — there were bow ties in all sorts of colors and materials by Pocket Square Clothing and wood eyewear by Sire’s Crown. And a new favorite, Hepp’s White Truffle Salt is something I can’t live without.

I was thrilled to see the kind of creativity and high level of design that comes out of Los Angeles. Shopping locally means that you are directly supporting this industry of small-scale designers. They are often the ones who push the envelope and give us the unexpected. That is something we need to cherish and of course, show the love to.

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Sustainable style news from EcoSalon’s West Coast Fashion Editor.

Hurlyburly’s Done – Costa Mesa based surf and skate brand Hurley and Nike have partnered up with Otis College of Art and Design to create Considered, a mentorship program for students that challenges them to come up with eco-friendly fashion ideas that follow the Nike Considered Index Tool, which evaluates all aspects of the supply chain. The program provides students who want to gain more than just a fashion education an opportunity to embrace design while considering the long-term effects on the environment. Organized into a contest style format, the resulting collections will be presented at Hurley’s H Space Gallery from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, October 20th.

Wear Something Rare – San Francisco is a sizzling hotbed for locally producing ingenuity these days. Check out some of the Bay Area’s hottest new indie designers at SOMA’s 440 Brannan’s fall sale event this Thursday, October 20^th from 6-10 p.m. Featuring local lines Johnathan Baker, gr.dano, Zansus Purses, Heiros, MENK and my favorite find of late, Suzy Tamimi. One of San Francisco’s “Ones to Watch,” the talented designer’s head turning fall collection shows her strong sense for creating a scene stealing look.

7 Year Niche  – What does it take for a local designer to keep her entire production – from first sketches, to patterns and samples through to socially responsible manufacturing – in San Francisco? According to Saffron Rare Threads designer Priya Saraswati, it takes Grit, Gloss & Glamor. Celebrating 7 years of business and flattering, fabulous fashion, Saraswati and her team are throwing an anniversary event and fashion show this  October 20^th. Delicous drinks, haute street food and the most lively bunch of lovelies you could hope to shop with. Enjoy a 15% discount all night.

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Can paintings live outside? Would it be possible to have a garden live within a painting? In an exhibition called Inside Outside, Fabric 8 challenged local artists Daniel James Burt and Romanowski to re-think painting from an outdoor perspective. The artists jumped right in (jumped right out?) in creating unique indoor and outdoor found object and plant assemblage and sculptures.

Beautifully integrated into the artwork are bits of chia pet plants and air plants that derive their water from the air, requiring little to no maintenance. The artists collaborated with Flora Grubb Gardens to determine exactly what type of plants would be best suited to this new art environment. “We do not have green thumbs,” Fabric 8 co-founder Olivia Ongpin explained, “So we knew that if we could keep these pieces alive, anyone could.”

Fabric 8 started out as an Internet business selling unique items by urban independent designers. Their small retail store located beneath a San Francisco Victorian residence in the Mission has now expanded to include a gallery in the back as well as a backyard garden gallery. When I stopped by earlier today, they were preparing the space for a wedding reception over the weekend.

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