GIFT Issue 1- June 2017

ISSUE NO 1

GIFT GREAT IDEAS FORWARD THINKING

JUNE 2017

Hello!

Welcome to the first issue of GIFT, the new quarterly zine produced by the team at Gift Republic. It has been designed to share and showcase upcoming trends and how they translate into the products you currently buy and will be wanting to get your hands on over the coming months.

We will be sharing with you a summary of the things we find inspiring, interesting and of course FUN! It is hard to escape the fact that the outside and inside are merging. With our accelerated lifestyles we are finding new ways to slow down and reconnect with nature. We will share some simple ways you can update interiors with some greenery.

There is a new character on the scene, find out who is the latest to join the unicorn and flamingo in the “it crowd” adorning a wide range of products!

In this edition we will also discuss the Pinterest generation, and how “maker culture” continues to rise in popularity and the DIY mentality is fast becoming a fundimental form of self-expression.

I hope you enjoy this first issue!

Gift

Republic Team

Nik MirusW

OUTSIDE /

IN

With living space in cities at a premium, people are bringing the outside in, by updating their interiors with leafy prints and exotic pot plants, enforcing the need to reconnect with the great outdoors!

After Pantone naming “Greenery� as their Colour of the Year for 2017, we can only see the need for green increasing!

As a result of adverse weather in Europe during the 2016 growing season, a number of popular vegetables are currently either in very short supply, or unavailable in the UK. Wyevale predict that if these shortages continue, 'there is the potential to see real growth in the grow your own sector. Luckily we have an extensive range of grow your own products from chilli plants to beanstalks and grape vines meaning there is something for everyone!

As well as tasting better than food that can be bought in a supermarket, homegrown food saves money and can become a theraputic hobby.

Succulents are one of the hottest trends for the home right now and have been inspiring designs from apparel to decorative ornaments, homeware and artwork.

GIFT IT! Holly Becker

If you fancy jazzing up your home, get your hands dirty and make a terrarium! A terrarium is a is a transparent container, tightly fitted with an adjustable glass cover, in which plants are grown in earth. The best part is, because you create it yourself, it will fit in perfectly with the rest of your home and make you feel like you own an indoor garden or a unique piece of art.

According to feng shui, the Bonsai plant is considered to be a great gift. It is believed that the plant has lucky properties when it is gifted. The plant is known for making the air quality in a room cleaner, making it a healthy addition to homes and offices.

As much as we love unicorns, flamingos and cats, we are really excited about the llama being the latest to join the “it” gang of characters to adorn our products! Riding the wave of the South American-inspired trend, the llama has taken the design world by storm!

Edutainment Licensing is a UK company trying to break into the Japanese licensing scene with its cute kawaii and colourful characters, featuring fun llamas!

Our llama duster has proven very popular, with one customer creating him an instagram account of his very own!

“Something old, something hooved.”

Couples getting married around Portland, Oregon or Vancouver, Washington can rent llamas in formal attire for their weddings.

West Elm

Land of Nod

Anthropologie

Danica Studios

FOSSIL

We have spotted these cute critters on a manner of products from limitededition art by Gray Malin to stationery, high end and high street apparel, homeware, accessories and novelty products!

KAWAII The Japanese concept of kawaii—best translated as “cuteness”—has grown from a national trend to a global phenomenon! This trend has been increasing in popularity and we see no signs of the western love for Kawaii inspired products dulling!

Japan’s culture of cute began in the 1970s with a youth movement developed by teenage girls, involving handwriting in a childlike style. The new script was given a variety of names, such as marui ji (round writing).

The combination of a bright color palette and friendly cartoon characters gives viewers a sense of comfort, no matter how bizarre or futuristic the design, as seen in this artwork by American artist, Buff Monster!

Wake up to this cute smile every day with our panda alarm clock!

Power up with our range of power pets!

Anya Hindmarch creates must-have accessories to suit any travel or day-today needs. Crafted from blush leather, this collection has been embossed with a playful graphic 'Kawaii' face – inspired by the cult of cuteness in Japan.

Anya Hindmarch

Kawaii characters are being applied to a wide range of products including stationary, food, homewear and technology- We love Mr Boost our cute portable charger!

Buff Monster Cute pets continue to be a popular licensing theme at the Licencing Expo in Japan this year. Playing with colour brings these lovable characters to life with brands such as Mitchiri Neko lend a childlike quality to designs.

Designed to elicit a sense of nostalgia, they often feature big heads and little bodies in order to match the proportions of infants and baby animals.

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