Direct from Market: New York
Bessie Nestoras, Meredith Schwartz and Caroline Kennedy -- Gifts and Dec, 8/19/2010 5:57:06 PM
The summer edition of the New York Gift Market, made up of the New York International Gift Fair, 7W New York, 230 Fifth Avenue and 41 Madison, has been met with happy vendors. Several manufacturers Gifts & Decorative Accessories spoke to said they were having a great show. "The show is wonderful. It's picked up tremendously. I wrote more on the first day of this show than in the last three shows. People are ordering larger. People are really buying," said Jamie Dietrich, owner of Jamie Dietrich.
"The show was very successful for us. New York remains the most important show for us. Traffic was not necessarily up from January, but business was really good and overall it was just a very positive vibe in the air," said Mareike Finck, public relations and marketing manager, Blissliving Home.
And Stella Martin of Under Stella's Umbrella — Fine Whines, Noble Initials, Belle Monde and Gerard Puvais — enthused while busily writing up an order, "This is my best show so far!"
No Renovation Nightmares
The first signs of the Javits Center's multi-year renovation were in evidence with familiar locations, such as the Galleria, and a grouping of aisles in back of the Crystal Palace entrance temporarily out of commission. However all sounds, scents and sights of construction were kept firmly out of sight, with music-filled corridors skirting the concealed work zones.
The renovations and relocations did not seem to hurt traffic any, though buyers had to readjust their walking habits to visit vendors who have been relocated. And while not every vendor we spoke to said they were writing gangbuster orders, the majority were up, some way up, and those constant barometers of traffic, the Javits bathroom and lunch lines, were bulging at the seams, particularly on Sunday and Monday.
The new Javits North Pavilion, housing the Designer/Maker handmade section relocated from the Galleria, made its debut to much praise from the exhibitors. "It's like the old tent (the former North Pavilion temporary structure) ... only better!" one artist exclaimed to the agreement of others. The new 40,000 sq. ft. structure is bright with natural light that shows off the artists' work to their best advantage. Dorothy Belshaw, NYIGF show director, along with Liz Beauregard and Michelle Kis, Handmade exhibit sales reps, cut the ribbon for the grand opening of the new space.
Meanwhile, 7W New York reported a steady traffic flow into the building. Monday was a particularly busy day. And on Monday evening there was quite a crowd at the "On the Boardwalk" themed late night shopping party. Shoppers lined up around the corner to spin the 7W Prize Wheel.
Shell Shocked
Shells and other sea life were spotted throughout market. Many vendors incorporated shells in their designs, whether on the walls or on the table. The Karen Robertson Collection featured an extensive line of wall décor with sea life as the central theme. Robertson creates designs using shells and other life from the sea and places them in glass frames. The reason for the glass is so that the wall color will act as the matte. The designer also offers a selection of jewelry and other decorative accents using shells. And the added bonus is that it's all made in the U.S.A.
Shells were also spotted at Jamie Dietrich. For four years, the designer has been topping vintage bottles with shells. California-based Bliss Studio uses shells throughout its line. It's the perfect addition to the company's easy, rustic West Coast look.
Made Goods uses shells in some of its pieces, including mirrors, and the finished product is quite glamorous.
What's New?
There were many new products spotted at the NYIGF. The Tea Set, found in The Richard Cohen Collection showroom in 7W, is a new collection of organic, fair trade teas collected from around the world. The teas come packaged in tins that can be reused.
I Lock You is a new product from Belgium that allows you to lock your bag onto a chair, stroller, bicycle and more. Unlike many of the other purse hangers on the market, I Lock You keeps your bag secure instead of just hanging off the side of a table. The simple ring comes in gold, black titanium and silver titanium.
Upcycling is the latest trend in eco-consciousness, where companies take existing products and instead of recycling them, turn them into something new. Bagabones found in Gallery on Six in 7W that does just that. The bags are made from polypropylene shipping materials from the Dutch company Bassel.
Toc Toc, which means a little silly in French, is a new lifestyle company that has partnered with Robert Le Heros to bring a collection of bags, umbrellas, jewelry, notebooks, pillows, baby clothes and more.
Dunes and Duchess is another new company that offers a collection of lamps and candelabras made from turned wood. They are then painted in various colors, including black, white and a light powder blue.
The Millwork Group
Auggie made its debut at the NYIGF. The company offers a selection of baby bedding in very simple patterns, including one featuring a robot design.
The Millwork Group is another new company, which made its debut at the NYIGF. The company features pillows by owner/designer Andrea Bernstein. The cushions feature bright, happy colors, as well as neutral tones, and vibrant patterns. The 100 percent cotton collection is made in the U.S.A.
Room Service, a custom furniture manufacturer, launched a collection of pillows, as well lighting and furniture this market.
Nougat is new to the U.S. market. The personal care line, found in the Compact Novelties showroom in 7W and distributed by Upper Canada Soap, hails from London and includes shampoo, conditioner, hand wash, hand lotion, body butter and more. The company also offers a variety of gift sets.
Changing Things Up
KITA in Gallery on Six in 7W, has once again expanded its line. The company began with a line of belts made in Indonesia. Now the company offers handbags and hair accessories.
Rebagz
Rebagz started out using candy wrappers and magazine pages, as well as rice sacks to create a collection of handbags. The company is still using the same materials, but has now designed the bags in more fashion-forward patterns. In the current line are bags in various colors. Owner Marty Stevens-Heebner said she plans on phasing out the original version.
Apple & Bee introduced a selection of jute bags made from recycled plastic and organic cotton. The company has also introduced a new line of men's accessories made from jute and organic denim. It is also venturing into a new category: stationery.
John Robshaw, has also moved into new categories. The company debuted a line of travel accessories, including luggage tags, passport covers and business card cases. Also new is a line of stationery, one design features a hand-painted elephant.
Best known for her lamps, Jamie Young, has expanded her line to include more accent furniture, as well as a line of bags made from leather and vintage recycled canvas with leather accents. The line was inspired by Young's many travels around the world.
Suki Cheema made his debut at the winter NYIGF and featured a selection of pillows. The designer is back this market with a new collection called Peru, as well as new products in new categories. He introduced new rugs, totes and quilts. Look for more from Suki Cheema at the winter 2011 fair.
Diane James Home, best known for her permanent floral bouquets, introduced a new candle with Seda France.
Jamie Dietrich has expanded her line into fashion accessories. The new line is a huge hit according to Dietrich. The
Jamie Dietrich
collection includes Lucite cuff bracelets with vintage-inspired accents like crosses and other medallions, as well as necklaces and handbags. The designer is currently working on a new line of furniture.
Patience Brewster introduced a new line of jewelry. The silver pieces are whimsical, just like the artist's figures and stationery, and are made using wax molds that Brewster creates. Some designs include a bird on an apron, a flying pig, an alligator in shoes, and a big fish.
Yves Delorme, found in 230 Fifth Avenue, is focusing on more decorative accessories. Best known for its linens, the company is looking to become a lifestyle brand. It is now offering accent furniture, lighting, vases and more. In addition to the new accessories, Yves Delorme introduced five new bedding collections.
Personal Care and Candles
Sula
In personal care, one trend we noted was toward more natural, eco-friendly nail polishes — and indeed, more nail polish being marketed as a gift product in general, which was once the province of drug stores and department store cosmetic counters. Scotch Naturals at Karen Alweil Studio is one such line, with its Hopscotch Kids offerings complementing the grownup line. Both are water-based. Meanwhile, Sula offers the Paint&Peel line in both two-sided wands and kits of separate bottles. With the included top-coat, the color lasts 4-5 days before being peeled off, no nail polish remover required. And for those who still need nail polish remover, there's Karma Organic's Organic Soy version.
A one-of-a-kind debut in personal care is the Graff Etch Pencil Me In colored pencils with built in sharpeners, which allow guys with graphic designs barber-etched into their hair to take them to the next level by coloring them in. The pencil shampoos out so guys can change their look as often as their outfit.
Kelly Hall of K. Hall Designs debuted a new sister company called Simpatico. Named after her family gathering of cottages on Michigan's Platte Lake, the line's look is inspired by vintage whiskey bottles and botanical prints, including two-sided labels which are visible through the liquid bath and body products.
Continuing the trend we saw across the summer markets of candles in metal, ceramic, and other non-glass containers is Altru, a new line of candles in hammered copper containers whose packaging is based on antique textile designs from a variety of cultures. Inspired by the multicultural heritage of CEO Manuela Testolini, the line also contributes to nonprofit In a Perfect World, which encourages children to become compassionate leaders. The line was also a Packaging category winner in the ExTracts Best New Product Awards.
Aglow Eco Living added a celebrity sheen to its sparkling line, launching the Project Ladybug collection with Dina 
Dina Manzo at Aglow Candles
Manzo, from TV show The Real Housewives of New Jersey. The candles, home accents and notecards benefit Project Ladybug's mission to provide children with life-threatening conditions with emotional and financial support.
Also notable were Waverly and Irving's candles in antique tins, supplementing the line's vintage glassware and adding a more rustic and/or masculine touch. And Millefiori Milano offers a high-end, elegant take on the car air freshener, suitable for luxury rides.
Debuting from personal care vendor Miss Oops, though it's arguably more of a fashion accent, is the Boob Tube, an innovative tiny tube top that adds a little extra fabric to too-revealing necklines without the heat or bulk of layering a whole extra shirt. And for the other end of things, jaks goes over jeans and under tops to cover up "muffin tops" and other midriff exposure.
For Kids and the Young at Heart
The Baby & Child division at NYIGF made it debut as a dedicated division this market, while 7W hosted its Baby & Kids Show. Both sections reflect the growing interest in an expanded selection of children's products on the part of gift and toy retailers. Offerings range from plush and toys to clothing and accessories, as well as family games and other types of toys, such as Areaware's Cubebot and Tegu's magnetic wooden blocks, which are as much geared to an executive's desk as they are intended for child's play. Tegu's blocks are made from responsibly harvested wood with water-based finishes
Among the notable offerings are Wee See's strangely hypnotic art installation for babies, which creates slowly morphing black and white designs on the TV or monitor, Melissa and Doug's rolling, ride-on kid's suitcases and ReSnackIt reusable, washable alternatives to sandwich bags. Wooli presented an alternative to the wooden toy box made out of sturdy wool felt. Booda Brand has cleverly packaged onesies and t-shirts made of organic cotton, and to help promote literacy, for every purchase a book is donated to a child in need. And at 7W New York's NYC Baby and Kids Fair, Lunacy Designs offers charming simple robot and rocket ships t-shirts and onesies handmade in Brooklyn.
Skip Hop, known for its fashionable diaper bags, was back at the NYIGF after a long hiatus. The company has 
Stuf
expanded its offerings to include children's backpacks, whimsical faux-leather Zoo bookends, tub toys and dinnerware. And speaking of backpacks, CBH Studio‘s L'il Packrats line garnered a lot of attention with its new PVC-free vinyl.The line is entirely American-made.
More and more products straddle the line between plush or soft toys and pillows. And the offerings of these ‘pillows with character' come from both toy and pillow manufacturers. Uglydoll has created irresistibly huggable pillows with faces; Stuf offers shaped toys in pirate, bird and developmental designs which could easily double as home décor. and Aminals presented a collection of imaginative pillow dolls featuring designs interpreted from children's drawings and made out of organic cotton materials. Meanwhile, pillow vendor Kevin O'Brien Studio offers stuffed animals made from its pillow fabrics; Pillow vendor Room Service is putting a charming Pirate Girl front and center in its pillow displays, and new exhibitor Rocket Monkey debuts The Squares, pimple-faced pillows with dangling legs designed by the creator of the animated series Four Eyes! And for those who prefer their pillow personality verbal, Alexandra Ferguson offers sentiments like "Dude, No, Bad Idea" and "Let's Make Out."
No more will parents whose own décor is urban contemporary have to settle for a doll house that looks like something from the last century. We spotted uber-modern playhouses at the show, particularly in the Accent on Design section, including Brica Dada's Emerson house a prototype from Playforever Toys.
Unique New York
The City Farm Girl
For products inspired by the latest headlines, check out the Gulf Spilltini martini infusion kit from Intoxicated Zodiac. Made up of dried elderberries (to turn vodka black), brown sugar and star anise, the kit adds a topical touch and contributes 50 cents per kit to charities helping with the Gulf oil spill aftermath. Want more new and newsy? Licensed Vuvuzelas, the plastic horn that entered American consciousness thanks to coverage of the South African World Cup, were spotted at the Piers.
No doubt one of the most unusual products we saw at a show full of unusual products was the giant chicken from The City Girl Farm. What, you may ask, is the use of a $1,200–$1,400 giant felted chicken with bronze feet and a bobbing head? It's an ottoman, of course. The quirky piece was a design school project of its creator, and would make an unforgettable statement surrounded by books on urban farming — or paired with an egg chair. And if your menagerie is still not complete, check out sweet sheep made out of inner tubes at Digs and their lifesize, realistic black and white cousins at Ronel Jordaan.
Happy shopping.
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