It’s the season for art markets and festivals, where locally owned businesses showcase jewelry, clothes, and totes you won’t find anywhere else. Here are four local brands helmed by designers who are committed to artisan traditions and a slow-fashion ethos.
Photograph by Martha Williams
Solid Moss Co.
No green thumb? No problem. Everyone can add greenery to their space with a maintenance-free, preserved-moss art piece from Solid Moss Co. showcasing biophilic design—the practice of incorporating nature into interior spaces—artist Joanna Solid’s textural pieces often feature moss varieties native to Georgia. In addition to selling her art online and throughout festivals in the Southeast, Solid frequently hosts “Make Your Own Moss-terpiece” workshops, often at the Open Door ATL gift shop in Decatur. Pieces range from $49 to $5,000, with custom commissions available.
Photograph by Martha Williams
Loud Italians
After a friend introduced Kim Arenas to resin art in 2019, she began experimenting with creating lightweight, hand-poured resin earrings. Her designs range from oversized, geometric shapes to multicolor playful silhouettes of cats, dogs, and hearts. “My original inspiration came from Italian stained-glass windows and vintage milk glass pieces,” Arenas says. “When I captured that look in an earring, I knew I had something special.” Loud Italians—named in honor of her family heritage—is now a staple at Atlanta art markets and festivals, recognizable by Arenas’s signature red-and-white tent. Prices range from $15 to $39.
Photograph by Martha Williams
Indian Roots
Born in Jaipur, India, Harsh Yadav was surrounded by the ancient craft of hand-block printing, a technique that involves dipping hand-carved wooden blocks into dye and then stamping them onto fabrics. In 2024, after years of dreaming about owning his own block-printed clothing brand, he launched Indian Roots, his collection of artisan-made, naturally dyed, block-printed pieces. The curated line includes dresses, skirts, and jackets, plus quilted totes and travel bags. His collection is available online and at local festivals, but Yadav has plans to open a local brick-and-mortar soon. Prices range from $30 to $125.
Courtesy of Color of Heat
Color of Heat
Slow, sustainable, and intentional is the framework for Kat Whatley’s clothing brand, Color of Heat. In 2013, a family trip to Thailand sparked her passion for Thai textiles, leading her to create her small-batch collections that connect modern-day style with the ancient art of fiber crafts. Though she travels back to Atlanta for festivals, Whatley is now based in Northern Thailand, where she works with a network of local artisan groups, each employing different ancestral techniques, including weaving, natural dyeing, batik painting, and sewing. Designed to be genderless and versatile, Color of Heat’s pieces, such as the signature wearable throw, can be worn in nine ways, including as a poncho or kimono-style wrap. Prices range from $39 to $500, available online and at festivals.
This article appears in our May 2026 issue.
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