Independents' day

Most designers find success in the fashion industry requires the same thing as anywhere else: hard work, and lots of it. And because independent designers in Chicago don't have access to the same sort of built-in infrastructure New Yorkers do, they've got to hustle to get their work in front of the public.

One of the newest and most frequent opportunities to do just that is at the Indie Designer Fashion Market, a monthly event showcasing the city's fledgling designers. Because it's part of the Chicago Antique Market, the IDFM generally receives secondary attention—a postscript to the bigger mention of the admittedly impressive antique bazaar. It's held in the unglamorously named Plumbers Hall, a sterile, modern building that could never be mistaken for an elegant atelier. Still, word on the IDFM is slowly, steadily leaking out; now, on the last Sunday of each month, antique freaks are looking for a new, unique piece of clothing in addition to decades-old designs.

After the CAM's successful inaugural season last year, founders Sally Schwartz and Kathleen Finley wanted to expand the fair's reach as a cultural as well as consumer destination. "When you think about why people love buying antiques and vintage items, it's because things are made so well," Schwartz says. "We started looking at ways we could expand the fair and add more things to it that would be consistent with the quality you'd expect [of vintage items]." The a market-within-a-market for local designers seemed like an ideal fit, and so the idea for the Indie Designer Fashion Market was born.

Rather than tack on the IDFM to the antique market in a slapdash manner, Schwartz and Finley did their homework, working with the School of the Art Institute to find young, fresh designers. They also traveled to New York City to research and observe similar markets in Soho that could serve as prototypes for the IDFM—an experience that challenged Chicago's status as the Second City. "When we were in New York talking to these designers, a lot of them wanted to come to Chicago and be able to do this market," Schwartz says. "But we said, 'You know, this market is just for Chicago people.' Because to them, Chicago's really cooler than New York."

Really?

"That's what they think," Schwartz continues. "People go to New York because they think there's more opportunity there, but I think the people who are already there think Chicago's more creative, more interesting, more beautiful. We loved that."

The eternal Chicago/New York battle over cool points aside, the IDFM is definitely a homegrown affair now that it's up and running. While the larger antiques portion of the market draws vendors from around the Midwest, the indie designers are all local—no exceptions. More than 30 of them rotate throughout the market (between ten and 15 have booth space each month) and their work ranges from jewelry to handbags, skirts to shawls.

For Erika and Monika Simmons of Double Stitch, a growing buzz about the market is bringing in new fans of their crocheted designs. "In the very beginning, we were wondering if the fashionistas were going to start coming out, because it did feel like more people were looking for antiques and vintage stuff," Erika admits. "But right after the first one, more and more fashionistas started coming. So far, it's been progressively better each time."

Eia Radosavljevic, a milliner and instructor at the School of the Art Institute, agrees: "The market exposes a huge number of people to Chicago designers, people who maybe wouldn't traditionally shop local [designers]. Although Radosavljevic doesn't sell her own chapeaus at the market, she's encouraged some of her students to do so, giving them the sort of hands-on knowledge that can't be learned in a classroom. "For my students, this is their first opportunity to sell," she says, "so it's quite a learning experience for them as far as dealing with the public."

That learning experience inevitably involves the highs and lows of running any sort of business. At June's market, many people browsed the IDFM, but relatively few shelled out the cash for purchases. Still, the exposure can be enough to sustain an independent designer's passion and drive (and perhaps, enough to lure a potential customer back the following month). And undoubtedly, the market also serves as a much-needed boost for Chicago's fashion scene. "Whenever we have difficulties, we think about all the support we have," Erika Simmons says. "We want to keep pushing on in Chicago rather than being one of those designers that just leaves and goes where fashion is a bit more on the forefront. Things like the market make you want to go ahead and say, 'Let's stay here; let's put Chicago on the map.'"

The Indie Designer Fashion Market takes place on the last Sunday of each month. The next market is Sunday 31.