Moustaches (and to a lesser extent beards) have become a crafty-indie motif that’s become nearly as popular as chandeliers, unicorns or deer. As the only Experts editor capable of sprouting whiskers (beyond capable: full disclosure, I’ve been clean shaven under ten times ever) I have been tasked with trying to get to the bottom of the trend.

Row 1: Keep warm and look fashionably mountain man-y at once with this bearded beanie by taraduff. There’s lots of moustache pins to be found on Etsy but I really like the classy colors of these vinyl Fancy Moustache Pins by yummypocket best; I couldn’t explore the moustache trend without including a bearded madame: I like all sorts of things about this Geek Scrub vegan soap by scodioli but especially its mashup of contemporary geekery and the old-fashioned chicken-decapitating-with-teeth kind.

Row 2: I drink espresso every morning from a set of stacking espresso cups like these by UptownAvenue –though without the awesome moustache varietals on them. If you’ve grown a moustache on a dare, shaved a beard leaving just a moustache, or you’re a girl who’s gone out partying wearing a false moustache, perhaps you deserve a moustache merit badge like this one from  imadeyouabeard? The monocle cat-erpillar by cordialkitten had me at “monocle” then went ahead and went for five legs, so good.

Row 3: I really like the campy-masculinity of this coffee-and-pipe-tobacco-scented moustache wax by mansfacestuff, the flowing sweetness of this gocco print, “Two” by laurageorge,  and the terrific and original fabric print on the the birds and the beards dress by meandoli

Conclusions: I think it sprung from a combination of a sort of cheeky take on manliness (chucknorrisfacts, those Old Spice commercials) and an offshoot of several other niche motifs (pirates, victoriana, yetis). Devendra Banhart and Daniel Day-Lewis might also shoulder some responsibility?

As a moustache-wearer I am not the target audience for the hundreds of moustaches-on-sticks or -on-chains (or merit badges or dresses) out there: most of these products are aimed at women. Erin from imadeyouabeard notes that in Portland, that mecca of indiecraftiness, there are two kinds of people, “hipsters with beards, and lumberjacks with beards. I was born without the ability to grow a beard, and now I make beards to help people like me blend in with their bearded compatriots.” Bravo Erin. Ladies, help me figure this out, is this what it’s about?