A design-focused SoCal gathering that intersperses vehicular displays from indie shops with all sorts of wares from small batch boutiques

It takes mountains of creativity and boatloads of brains to build an exceptional custom car. The high-level orchestration of art and engineering demanded by automotive manufacturing is unparalleled, making it no wonder that Jonathan Ward, one of the pioneering forces in the handmade automotive space, embraces a spiderweb of connections within the worlds of design and craftsmanship.

“I’m a serial craftsman,” Ward explains to COOL HUNTING, “I make all my clothes and leather goods. Through all this shit I geek out on through my training and network, I’ve developed so many friends that are doing exceptional work as independent makers.” He reveals that those relationships led him to a realization. “I thought, craftsmanship has no boundaries. Wouldn’t it be neat to have an event where people could go and see not just the latest custom cars and trucks and motorcycles from pro shops that they could see at The Quail, but also from incredible people who have a soulless day job but are building incredible things?” 

By embracing his network, which spans from silversmiths and jewelers to boot makers and apparel manufacturers, Ward assembled Icons of Design—a design-focused lovefest that intersperses vehicular displays from indie shops like Legend Motor Co., Ruffian, and of course his own Icon4X4 with everything from small batch boutiques like Formawerx to more mainstream companies like Aether. 

The second installment of this event will be held this Saturday and Sunday, 16 to 17 November at Hagerty Garage + Social in Van Nuys, California. With around 50 brands represented, the vibe is closer to a country fair than an urban assembly. Patrons are able to peruse local offerings from the array, with food trucks and a full bar hosted by Madre mescal and tequila. One hundred percent of the net proceeds benefit GO Campaign, an organization that works with vulnerable children both globally and in Southern California. 

Ward sees the union of seemingly disparate crafts as elemental to his automotive and leather-working efforts. “Really, with the exception of ceramics, pretty much every other art form is often present in every vehicle we design and build,” he says. “So if we do a hand-tooled leather interior, that’s going to traditional Western tooling; if we do custom knobs and switches, we’re combining both high-tech and old-world lost wax casting; all the textiles and leathers that we use are rarely from the automotive realm.”

“But I guess the most honest answer is because I’m a geek and I love supporting independent makers both as a consumer and a creator,” he adds. “I think it’s harder and harder for them to find an audience and make a relevant business case for being independent.”