Bespoke, artisanal, handmade, handcrafted — these are terms that have been making their way into our everyday vocabulary. Whether it’s a cream puff or a cardholder, Singapore is slowly but surely warming up to lovingly made and personalised items. And it doesn’t look to be only a passing trend.

One group that has been championing all things handcrafted is The General Company. Since 2012, it has been showcasing Singaporean products at its first outlet, Tyrwhitt General Company. It has recently taken its cause a step further by opening a co-working space for artisans at King George’s Avenue, only a stone’s throw from its first space.

Called The Refinery, it is set to be a resource centre and a hub for creative minds to network, pool their skills to work on joint projects and reach out to more customers.

“Most craftsmen are individuals, many of them have full-time jobs. There are also limited spaces where they can work. We want to help bring these like-minded people together so they can become more efficient in what they do,” said Colin Chen, co-founder of The General Company.

“At this space, they have access to machines and resources. They can also collaborate with one another. For example, the woodmaker can work with the leather maker to make chairs with leather cushions. When you make better and more products, you can scale (up), hit critical mass and explore the option of exporting offerings. It’s not that Singapore doesn’t have good designs, it’s more that people don’t know about them.”

At The Refinery, there will be six core craftsmen across different trades, including designer Melvin Ong of Desinere and The Woodwork Initiative’s Greg Swyny. Other makers can apply to work on communal tables.

With a space that’s bigger than Tyrwhitt General Company, you can also expect more workshops for a public whose interest in going hands-on has been increasing. “I’ve been running workshops for two years. People are now willing to spend to experience something hands-on instead of blindly buying goods. They want to learn the craft and stories behind a product,” said Chen.

Ironically enough, the rise of craft culture stems from the pervasiveness of technology. The speed of change has rendered so many things irrelevant and intangible so quickly that people tend to treasure and return to quality craftsmanship and lasting design. “It’s like when everyone’s reading e-books, you will appreciate a beautifully bound book more,” said Chen.

Workshops have also become part of retail stores. For instance, pop-up shop Keepers: Singapore Designer Collective, which is located along Orchard Road, has been conducting workshops since it was set up in September. Among these are concrete-casting and album-making, while artists-in-residence also create work on-site over a five-month period.

“Guests are invited to watch and talk to the artisans to learn more about the process of craftsmanship. Educating people through workshops is a more immersive way to fuel appreciation and grow the community of people who value quality,” explained Keepers creative director Carolyn Kan, who is a jewellery maker.

Response to these workshops has been generally positive — the one on woodworking was over-subscribed, while the concrete-casting session was sold out. The growth in demand for workshops is great as it expands the community of people who appreciate and seek quality work by fellow independent craftsmen and designers, said Kan.

Meanwhile, online retail store Naiise is taking advantage of the season by offering shoppers the chance to make personalised, unique gifts for Christmas at its current pop-up shop located in Dunlop Street. Workshops are organised every weekend and range from those teaching the art of snowflake paper-cutting to those that let you print your own Christmas cards using a traditional letterpress handset.

“By getting participants to create Christmas gifts in a fun, affordable and hands-on manner, we get to introduce them to DIY and offer them an opportunity to work with, and learn from, talented local designers,” said Naiise founder Dennis Tay.

“Workshops are a novel experience for many and a great way of inspiring creativity within anyone.”

Indeed, workshops may very well be the gift that keeps on giving. What’s better than this for Christmas, right?