True to bringing the world of e-commerce and online shopping to the offline market, Markets aims to provide a different shopping experience with a quarterly bazaar consisting of vendors ranging from fashion, arts and craft, food, and more exciting treasures.
This weekend (26th and 27th of September), Markets 16 hit Jaya One with more than 100 vendors exhibiting their products. I took a stroll around the impressive bazaar on the mission to pick out a few vendors that really stood out from the crowd.
It was a challenging task because each vendor has its unique charm; finally 2 hours later, here are the 6 coolest finds at Markets 16.
1. Verdez Olivia
Verdez Olivia sells urban and stylish pouches, clutches, wallets and folders that are all handmade. Their wallet collection is made with cork and is very durable and long-lasting. Run by 2 sisters, they also offer engraving services so you can personalise your item.
2. Wunderbath
A fair share of vendors were selling handmade artisan soaps and beauty products at Markets 16, among them were Claire Organics, Earth Care Soaps, and Deeper Than Beauty (some of the beauty startups that were present are listed in our article here), but this one particular vendor stood out from the rest.
No, those are not food—they’re handmade soaps!
Wunderbath soaps are all natural, vegan, paraben-free, and not tested on animals. These soaps are bound to catch your eye because the founder Evelyn Marieta custom makes them to look like various forms of desserts, sushi, kuih, bread, and more. I kid you not, she makes them look quite realistic, you’d do a double take.
Wunderbath can also custom make soaps that mimic your favourite food, clothing, objects, or brand logos, which would make personalised gifts for any occasion or celebration.
3. Craftiviti
If you think buying handmade artisan soaps are overrated, how about making your own? Craftiviti encourages you to have that do-it-yourself attitude by providing you with the materials to make your own soap, candle, clay sculptures, jewellery and more.
You can opt to buy a soap-making set, or you can cut a bar from their ready-made block of soap. They also have a piece of ready-made beeswax which can be rolled up tightly into a candle wick.
4. Beads & Beads
Founded in June this year, Beads & Beads does handmade beadcelets and hand chains that look sleek and chic. I’m not one who is too fond of over-accessorising, so their slave beadcelets (it really isn’t as bad as it might sound) strike a perfect balance.
The founder, Ivy runs this business full-time and they currently offer free-shipping throughout Malaysia.
5. Scott’s Shavers
Alright, time for something for the men. Scott’s Shavers wants to turn men into the MEN they deserve to be by giving them a closer shave so they can style their facial hair exactly how they’d want to.
Their classic shavers come in 4 designs: Nessie, The Thistle, The Braveheart, The Highlander. Each of them have a different finishing (matte black, matte silver, polished brass, and polished copper) and the handle weighs at 120 grams so it glides across easily, without the need to press it against the area being shaved.
The blades are from Germany and the handles were designed with brand consultants and experienced product designers for one and a half years before being manufactured in Malaysia.
6. Made By Jade
Furkids were not left out in Markets 16, other than Barkey Oven and Awesome Pawsome—both businesses bake homemade doggie treats which are of human grade ingredients and free of preservatives and addictives—there was another noteworthy pet-related vendor, Made By Jade.
Made By Jade makes pet shampoo bars that are suitable for pets with sensitive skin and pet deodorant that smells good and has natural combatants for fleas and ticks in dogs. The natural combatant spray contains ingredients like lavender, citronella, cedar, peppermint, eucalyptus, and lemongrass.
Chui Shia from Barkery Oven shared that she uses it for her golden retriever and it works like a charm to keep her dog smelling fresh and clean.
Markets 16’s last day is the 27th of September at Jaya One from 11am to 7pm at Jaya One and the full list of vendors is listed in the image below.
If you can’t make it, however, don’t fret, the best part is that most of these vendors are available online and you can still check them out on Facebook or on their respective websites.