Unless you wanted to rep your veteran status, political party, favorite sports team, Disney fanhood or membership in fraternal organizations, enamel pins have never particularly been a fashion trend. But somehow, the colorful, embossed metal-alloy pins have become the accessory of the moment, appearing everywhere on Instagram and Etsy. Wearers can sport their offbeat, quirky side by showing off their love for, say, Beavis and Butthead, ice cream cones, Frida Kahlo, cartoon characters or other pop-culture totems. And for the artists designing them, the pins add new dimension to their one-off creations in a way that appeals to a wider audience.
They are cheap to produce, buy and ship, which partly explains how they're popular for both consumer and artist. “The majority of people I talk to prefer limited-edition pieces, and I believe that's the reason why patches and lapels have been getting popular,” says local artist Tristan Cruz. “It's a new trend that allows artists to convey their work in a whole new medium.” Cruz took the plunge into the enamel-pin craze with his “Ned Flounders” creation, and he along with illustrators such as Sara Lyons, Robin Eisenberg, even our own Luke McGarry have converted their original drawings into wearable works of art.
The brand with the largest variety of artist pins is Valley Cruise Press, which boasts an array that includes poodles wearing-sunglasses, pineapples, E.T., emojis, switchblades and skulls. Toy company Kidrobot will even release its “Pricks” line of pins in February 2016.
“It's definitely changed my line of work and helped me reach a whole new audience,” says Cruz. “There's a huge market out there of people who love to buy pins so they can keep them as collector's items. It's a trend that's not going away any time soon.”
These days, if you want to design your own pins, you can through websites such as www.madebycooper.com or www.pinmart.com. Or if you just want to buy 'em local, check out the cool inventory at Fullerton skate shop Programme Skate & Sound (2495 E. Chapman Ave., Fullerton, 714-798-7565; programmehq.com).
Aimee Murillo is calendar editor and frequently covers film and previously contributed to the OCW’s long-running fashion column, Trendzilla. Don’t ask her what her favorite movie is unless you want to hear her lengthy defense of Showgirls.