October 2010: Janna Wilson, Blue Lily Adornments
It started in April, somewhere around the second week of the Market season. I started to see them now and again. Floaty, stripey feathers in people’s hair. By May, it seemed that just about everybody I saw had them. What was going on? Where did they come from? How did they get to be so cool so fast? Turns out I was witnessing the birth of a Local Fashion Trend, one that’s still hot six months later with no signs of cooling down. Many of those feathers were coming from Janna Wilson, and in fact I could call her booth “Busiest Booth of the Month.”
The trend is not just feather hair extensions, it’s feather earrings too. Over the winter, Janna started seeing the feather trend take off on Etsy, the world-wide cyberspace version of Saturday Market. She invested in some feathers, made some earrings, and promptly sold out as soon as Market started. Folks started to ask her about the hair feathers. A bit of research done, some supplies acquired, and Janna was one of the first to offer the product/service at Market. In order to meet the Market’s standards that commercial components must be significantly altered, Janna dyes the feathers herself, and combines them into at least three per extension. The extension feathers are from frizzle roosters, and are quite recognizable to passing fly fishermen as fly tying supplies. They are particularly sturdy, resistant to water and wear, sometimes surviving several months of wearing and re-application.
Janna started at Market last year as a jeweler, and there’s still plenty of unique jewelry in her booth, ranging from simple earrings to true statement pieces. Never content to just sit on top of a trend, she keeps experimenting with new materials and unusual objects. She’s been using another fly fishing supply, furry rabbit skin, to make some unique bracelets and necklaces, and her latest pieces are made from recycled vinyl LPs. Cut into fun shapes, embellished with beads, you can wear your Beethoven in the shape of a skull and crossbones, or a heart shaped lock and key. Her strong sense of whimsey and design are always evident.
For the obvious reason of needing to contain a crowd of hair extension fans, her booth is arranged for maximum customer occupancy, using wall space and tall tables to bring her art to easily visible and accessible levels while standing. Professional signage, clean white side walls, and product frames that are color coordinated with the sign color keep the space organized and attractive looking.
Janna doesn’t have a reserve space, so you’ll have to ask for her location at the Info Booth. If you can’t make it to Market you can check out her Etsy shop at BlueLilyAdornments.etsy.com.
