• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, December 12, 2015

The spirit behind the Makers Movement may be hardy independence, and the confidence of knowing you brew your own beer and knit your own socks. But that DIY drive requires an enormous amount of spending, too — about $34 billion a year.

Nicole Farb, who co-founded Darby Smart, an online community of some 7 million makers, is forging connections to fuel that spending, partnering with such retailers as the Gap, Michaels and Urban Outfitters. She tells Marketing Daily how brands can woo these avid crafters, a segment that includes some 150 million.

Q. First, what sparked the idea?

A. I’ve always crafted. And as crafting got more digital, it felt less isolated and less stagnant. But it was making me feel bad about my passion — I’d fail at something I saw on Pinterest. For many people, Pinterest is the source for ideas, YouTube is the source for video tutorials and how-tos, and then they go to another site to buy supplies. That’s three different touchpoints. We wanted to create one place where you could find the idea and learn how to make it. All the ideas come from our 2000 designers.

Q. How do you define maker?

A. It is a Millennial term, and I don't think it’s fairly applied. I’m not sure every maker self identifies. If you are a new entrant to the category, you may call yourself a maker. But there are probably 50 million people out there knitting or crafting or whatever, and they don’t use that term.

Q. Because this yearning to create things is so strong right now, especially with Millennials, bigger brands are trying to get into the game. How is that working?

A. Lots of brands are trying to work that into their marketing. Chrysler started running its big “Born Makers” campaign last year, for example. You’ll see furniture companies using photos from actual customers, showing how they styled their dining room. We’ve partnered with both Urban Outfitters and Michaels, both looking for ways to use their products to drive customer engagement. The point is that everyone is trying to figure out how to make consumers a part of the process.

Q. Some people might argue that the whole DIY/maker trend got its start in the 2008 recession, driven by frugality. Is that still true?

A. Maybe in segments. There are people on our site right now turning milk jugs into snowmen, and that kind of upcycling, finding a new use for an object, is important too. But now people are spending a decent amount of money on their crafts. Mostly, I think people feel they’ve had enough of globalization and mass-produced goods, and have this inner drive and desire to be unique, to have something handmade.

Q. Is the trend then about being a maker? Or more about personalization, like automakers who now let people choose many elaborate color combinations, for example?

A. Both, but it’s also about participation. It makes you feel like you participated in the design of the car. It’s unique to me, and I had a say in it. That’s very different than something like monogramming. And it’s all a form of self-expression.

Q. What about Etsy, and Amazon’s new Handmade?

A. People on Etsy need supplies and we sell supplies, so they are our customers. But in some ways we compete because our designers sell on our site, too. But I’m rooting for them because I do think all boats rise. We want to make it easier for people to buy the things they need to make things, and then to sell what they’ve made if they want to do that.