But there's no reason why mere mortals can't experience the joys of handmade fashion. In fact, they can get the extra satisfaction of having made something themselves, starting from scratch. It's a way of experiencing fashion that goes way beyond stepping into a store and walking out with a new sweater. Even if you fell madly in love with the sweater, the love will never be as deep as you feel for your first self-made scarf.

It's a message that resounds especially on the internet, where creative types find ever-more ways to fashion their own outfits. Some bloggers even post manuals to recreate certain looks from the catwalk. Others start businesses that thrive on stimulating people to make their own clothes.

One group of knitting wonders are those who started up Wool and the Gang. Originally a band of friends, they grew into a full-blown business, importing fair-trade Peruvian wool and selling it in packages complete with knitting needles and patterns. They encourage buyers to capture the process of their own knitting and post stories and pictures on their website, thus creating a worldly gang of wool lovers.

That sense of community seems to be very important in the D-I-Y fashion movement. At Etsy.com, creative talents can sell their homemade accessories and clothes in their own little shop-in-shop. There have been cases of abuse, such as when a Chinese factory invents a fake identity and sells cheap hand labour on the site. It usually doesn't take a week before protest arises from within the Etsy community, and a boycott is issued against the abuser. These consumers are pretty serious about the goals and ideals of Etsy: it should be a place for honest homemade creations.

Belgian designer Déborah Marin launched her own web shop on which she sells woollen bracelets, rings and headbands in every colour. The photography is her own, too, and it looks so fun and colourful, your Mastercard won't stand a chance.

www.bijouxmisstinguette.kingeshop.com