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IN CONVERSATION WITH… THE ART FILE
other deals have been on a much smaller scale or not exclusive. For Ged Mace, md of The Art File, Louise making contact with him to say she was looking to shift to licensing her designs, truly was a case of serendipity. “Following on from the success of our relationships with Meloo and Pavilion I had tentatively had conversations with other brands who for various reasons may have been interested in licensing us to publish their cards to enable them to concentrate on the designing side. Then, in the midst of this Louise got in touch,” recalls Ged. “Like so many others, I had admired Louise’s designs for a number of years, and was at the Louies when she won a brace of awards. She has built a proven British brand
Left: 2026 is a year of the book, but The Art File was ahead of the curve with its Storybook collection. Below: The Art File has expanded into plush with the star of the Bear card range.
that I just knew would sit well within The Art File family as well as appeal to our retail customers.” Ged pays tribute to Louise’s honesty and bravery for admitting that the conflict between the creative side and the responsibility of running the business she set up a decade ago had adversely affected her mental health. As Louise openly admitted: “As time has gone on, the joy of creating has been overshadowed by the compounding pressure and responsibility of the business side of things, which has felt like a huge weight on my shoulders,” leading her to acknowledge that it had become completely unsustainable for her to continue on that trajectory. Debuting at Spring Fair from The Art File will be 300 everyday Louise Mulgrew designs alone, across six collections, including mini cards, with Louise already underway Left: Michael Apter, owner of Paper Tiger was so taken by The Art File’s Penny Lane collection that he created a dedicated Christmas window to the range in his four Edinburgh stores.
designing more designs for future ranges. “Louise will also be visiting the stand, so I hope we do her proud!” said Ged. Tellingly, since the announcement about the tie-up with Louise Mulgrew, Ged revealed that he has been contacted by several other publishers looking to discuss the potential of a similar relationship with The Art File, something Ged is open to. “My feeling is that we, through The Art File, could support several more ‘Made in Britain’ greeting card brands, thereby offering a credible alternative to brokerage for retailers and publishers,” believes Ged. “I predict that by the end of this year, we will be working with up to another five publishers in this way. We already supply 1,700 independent retailers as well as many groups and multiples, plus have an established export business in 30 territories.” To Ged’s mind, the overarching mission is a need “to continue to energise our category so retailers are never in any doubt that they need to stock greeting cards that offer the best selection possible to their customers. The industry’s way of working is changing, and needs to change, this is all part of that evolution.”
EXTENSiVE SHOWMANSHiP The Art File’s stand at Spring Fair (Hall 3 Stand P11) will be well weighted down with newness, across everyday and Christmas. Over 340 new designs are being launched by the publisher across cards, wrap, stationery and gifts. There are 10 brand-new card collections alone, with over 80 new extensions to The Art File’s current collections. Among the notable new card collections are Tidal Ink and Happy Things. Every card in the Tidal Ink collection is printed with kelp ink, a biomass ink that has a carbonnegative footprint, while Happy Things is a joyful collection of birthday mini cards. On the gift packaging front are 17 new gift bags, 18 new gift wrap designs, 12 new tissue paper packs as well as new collections of ribbon in 24 colours. In stationery, the company has brought out a new collection of sticker rolls, and bookmarks, along with extensions to wall calendars, notebooks, notecard packs and magnetic list pads. In gifts, the new collection sees additional
tote bag designs, keychains and pin badges join the line-up. On the plush front, The Art File has welcomed eight new teddy bears into its Bear family, based on the character from the publisher’s bestselling card collection created by Robert Reader. Every Bear is made from recycled materials, has a personable stitched logo on one foot and comes with an embroidered colourful logo tag. Left: Spring Fair will see The Art File launching hundreds of new designs and products across its many ranges, including everyday and Christmas. Below left: Fruity giftwraps from the publisher. Below: The Art File is launching into pin badges.
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 39