Share this on

Direct from Market: New York

GDA Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 8/19/2011 4:18:52 PM

The New York International Gift Fair was filled with new products this summer. But before we get to that, the fair itself boasted something new: a new layout that created a little buzz throughout the show. Several vendors commented on how much they liked the new layout, and many told Gifts & Decorative Accessories that the show had a more European flair. The aisles were bigger in Accent on Design and Moss Studiosvendors seemed to pull out all the stops when it came to their booth displays. And even though some sections were shifted around, no one was complaining.

In addition to a new layout, buyers were greeted with several new vendors. Moss Studios offers a selection of home furnishings made from found objects. Some of the highlights at the show were mirrors made from vintage tennis racquets, lamps and tables using movie reels and a lamp whose shade uses the film of a pornographic movie.
Abigail's, best known for its decorative accessories and tabletop items, is now offering textiles featuring vintage Indian designs.

Suki Cheema has moved his New York headquarters to London, and is expanding the line to include more tote bags and scarves. This market, the designer took buyers on a trip to Indonesia where he got his inspiration for the collection of pillows and other textiles.

Having first spotted FLUX at the Ambiente fair in Frankfurt a couple of years ago, Gifts & Decorative Accessories was happy to see the Dutch company make its debut at the NYIGF this summer. The company creates design-forward folding chairs for the modern customer.

After a long absence, Mottahedeh is back at the NYIGF. With a booth front and center, buyers could once again shop for luxurious dinnerware at the fair.
Guven Design

Güven Design also made its debut this market. The collection features Anatolian art in several forms - dinnerware, cups, decorative accents and more.

Canadian company Kosoy + Bouchard is new to the American market. The design duo specializes in ceramics and glass that are both functional and decorative. The designs are delicate, and while some pieces boast a traditional look, the pieces truly are modern.

Cynthia Vardhan Ceramics is also new to the fair. The designer's work is simple and elegant, and one can see the inspiration in Moroccan tiles and henna. Cynthia Vardhan

Making its industry as well as New York debut is QR Media Group, a company whose gift product is so new, the website literally launched mid-show. The company markets Skanbandz - thick, sturdy wristbands featuring a QR code, which users can then personalize with a PIN to lead those who scan it to their social media presence, phone number, email, or other personal information. They can choose to require a password for those with privacy concerns about potentially being scanned by strangers. The company says the target demographic is ages 14-24, so these bandz take over when SillyBandz are outgrown. IPhone cases as also available, as well as stickers for those with other models. The technology also has business applications; the company told G&DA that the bands were used in lieu of badge scanning at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Cover Me!

New Zealand-based Blunt was created because the designer got tired of getting poked in the eye. So he designed an umbrella with covered points - eliminating the dilemma of when the fabric comes undone - and Really Goodone that can withstand up to 72 mile an hour winds.

Knirps is a German-based umbrella manufacturer which boasts the first umbrella with a telescopic frame, aka the pocket umbrella. The company offers a wide variety of styles and sizes.

Two moms who got tired of getting wet when walking around with their strollers, created the first hands-free umbrella that attaches to a stroller. My Blue Bumbershoot attaches to a stroller and easily folds down for stowage. Finally, Really Good, an edgy humor gift company from the U.K. which made its NYIGF debut this year, offers an umbrella with attitude: the case reads "show me the massive pina colada."

Cause Related

If you've paid attention lately, more and more women are walking around with umbrellas to ward of the sun. Marisol, new to the fair this market, introduced a collection of stylish umbrellas that work in the sunshine and the rain. Designer MarisolsMiranda Leigh started the line in response to the humanitarian crisis in Eastern Congo, where more than half a million girls and women have been the victims of sexual violence. The umbrellas are made of high-carbon steel and feature colorful African wax prints and a pagoda shape. They are available in three sizes, the smallest suitable for young girls. The company donates 10 percent of the proceeds to the City of Joy, a healing and training center conceived by the Congolese women and sustained by V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women.

Seventeen-year-old Taylor Greenberg Goldy turned a charitable project into a charitable business. Greenburg Goldy decorated tote bags and stuffed them with gifts, which she then donated to hospitals where children were being treated for cancer. She didn't stop there. Last year, at the Strike Out Pediatric Cancer Bowl-A-Thon, which her brother organized to benefit the Pediatric Cancer Foundation, the young entrepreneur worked with more than 60 volunteers to create 200 bags. The next step was to start Charitotes. Greenburg Goldy created the Design-A-Bag craft kits, which will come with a plain white canvas bag, stickers, stencils, a sketchbook, crayons, fabric markers and other materials for kids to design their own tote bag. Ten percent of sales will be donated to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

Candles and CarePairfum North America

Among standout personal care offerings is B. Witching Bath Co.'s organic shaving jelly. The major innovation of this product from a user's perspective: it's clear, so you can see in real time what you're shaving. Also innovative is new exhibitor Worker B's Rescue Putty, which stays right where you put it for help with bug bites and other localized skin problems, and hair powder from Royal Apothic, which helps consumers freshen Brazilian blowouts and other hairstyles which can't survive shampooing. Pairfum North America's statement-piece-sized driftwood diffuser holds a scented sheet of wax in back. Besides dramatic looks, the product appeals to the conscience - the wood is scavenged, already fallen, in English forests including Sherwood by women who need the work. But the biggest appeal to retailers may be the phenomenal price point: at a wholesale of only $22.50, the perceived value is many times keystone. Ecoya's Decadence collection plays on the word Decade and pays homage to powerful women of the early 20th century, including Josephine Baker and Dorothy Parker. Mine Design offers sugar soy candles in dressy cabochon glass. And at 7W's Gallery on Lisa Carrier DesignsSix, Lisa Carrier Designs' highly embellished candles featuring locks and keys blend the steampunk look with a more bright, blingy, luxurious feel previously seen mostly at the Dallas market.

Kidding Around

Dumbelle is a collection of paper dolls created by artist Elaine Pedlar. This is Pedlar's first show. She has a store in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn and is wholesaling her work for the first time at the NYIGF. The dolls are multicultural and each girl has her own personality. The dolls are available already colored in or in black and white.

Lollacup is a new line found in Karen Aleweil's booth. What's unique about this toddler's cup is the weighted straw that allows kids to slurp up every last drop of their juice, milk or water. The cups are all made in the USA and are FDA approved. Another new line in Karen Alweil's booth is Australian brand SunnyLIFE. The outdoor accessories company offers a selection of beach towels, picnic baskets, blankets and more in bright, happy colors and design forward patterns.

Funfam is a new line from Japan that teaches children how to eat a balanced meal through the shape of the plates. The wooden plates are broken down into sections and come in a variety of styles.
Playforever introduced new mini cars - perfect for gifting this holiday season.

No. 3 No. 4 creates stuffed toys from socks. The Japanese line is new to The Mary Harper Group.
Poppy is the maker of children's clothes that features the adventures of Poppy and her dog Fred. The British company made its debut in New York with a selection of clothes and a sampling of its bedding line. Each dress or bedding Jasper + Blackcollection features an illustration of one of the pair's adventures and comes with a book. The line is made in the U.K.

New exhibitor Hannah's Kittens brings luxury to the plush market. The kitties are made of French faux fur, are hand-trimmed and proportioned to resemble real baby cats. They appeal to teens and women as well as kids.

Also in plush, tooth fairy pillows have tended toward the girly. But now there's an alternative for boys or anybody with a quirky sensibility. Tooth Monster from The Monster Place is cute and modern. Zoolkz animals from Jasper + Black prove it's hip to be square; they come in elephant, lion, parrot, pig and dog. Also on the design side are Mrs. Jermyn's abstract teddy bears in a variety of fabrics, featured in the A+ Young Designers' Showcase.

Beyond soft stuff, one of our most innovative finds is the magnetic comic strip kit from new exhibitor the mu microcosmic universe. It includes a magnetic write on/wipe off black background panel to draw your own the mu microcosmic universebackgrounds and scenes, plus magnetic write on/wipe off speech balloons, dry erase marker, and over 20 magnets of character, vehicles and more. According to the company, the kit is being bought by galleries as well as toy and gift stores for its design appeal.
Hape takes the doll house stratospheric with a cross-sectioned rocket ship which is sure to appeal to science and technology fans.

Meanwhile Brinca Dada, previously known for modernist doll houses, is branching out into a set of wood blocks full of unusual curves and shapes. Playon Crayons by Studio Skinky are not just easy to hold, they double as a building toy, are stain free and come in recycled and recyclable packaging. All that Glitters Temporary Tattoos come with stencils, vegetable based glue and, of course, glitter. They are waterproof and the company says they last 5-7 days; at press time our sample is on day 5 and still recognizable. And on the practical side, Sani-cuffs sanitizer-dispensing wristbands from Armorteria make sure kids can have clean hands on the go. Licensed bands from Marvel will be coming soon.

Card StockPaper Punk

Not everything playful at the show was just for kids. Echoing a trend we spotted in the toy industry, cardboard and paper construction is hot, but the gift industry's offerings feature mostly smaller sizes and more sophisticated designs, suitable for older teens but appealing just as much to playful adults. Magnote's Piperoid, an early leader in this trend, has added characters such as a ninja woman, but they're far from the only offering. Paper Punk made its debut at the NYIGF. The paper building toy comes in flat sheets so the recipient puts it together. There are several styles available - a dog, a robot, a car - and each is colored in a graphic pattern.

Marc Tetro is offering large, decor-sized paper pop-outs in taxis and other New York themes. Dutch designer Kidsonroof offers a kid-sized cardboard desk, stool and stove as well as a host of small animals. Lovi through Scandic Imports offers 3D paper bird car d-torso d-torsods to perch in their plywood trees; the line has planted nearly 8,000 real trees so far. Korean design studio Tuna Paper offers 3D pop up cards, mobiles, and storage in the shape of a house. Noted features cardboard buildings and vehicles from a Polish designer. Mira Design Corp./ d-torso features cardboard animals that slot together, in both tiny and life-sized forms. And for larger than life, Mio's Butterfly Nomad System module works as a room divider or display.

For those adults who want to expand their play beyond paper, brightly colored notebooks from Marks Inc. feature a soft plastic cover that resembles Lego or other construction block systems and closes with the classic brick click; Zip Zip offers a USB Memory Brick that looks like a retro piece of Lego or other brick construction material. New this show is the External Hard Drive Brick, which is compatible with regular brick toys and/or the USB flash drives.

Grown Global

This summer's fair had a greatly expanded international presence with 23 foreign pavilions, a number of them exhibiting for the first time. This in addition to a significant number of individual exhibitors from overseas.

Korea had a strong first-time presence sponsored by the Korea Local Promotion Foundation. Some 24 exhibitors showcased a range of product categories from handmade ceramics to jewelry to teas, many of which also promoted a related health benefit or earth-friendly sensibility. The Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) brought a number of different exhibitors from India to promote its handicraft industry. Several artisans were on hand to demonstrate their craMarks Inc.fts. EPCH also hosted a networking session to introduce buyers to the sourcing possibilities in India. Japan had a significant presence as well. In New York's Newest at Pier 92, Nepal, Malaysia, Argentina, Bangladesh, China and Ecuador were represented.

As the last of the major trade shows of the summer season, the New York International Gift Fair ended things on a high note with crowded aisles, good order-writing and new accounts opened and smiling faces everywhere in spite of the rain that didn't dampen spirits.

Share this on

Talkback

We would love your feedback!

Direct from Market: Toy Fair 2012

Feb 19, 2012

Direct from Market: New York

Feb 3, 2012

Direct from Market: New York

Feb 4, 2011

Direct from Market: Atlanta

Jul 20, 2011

Let There Be Highlights!

Feb 1, 2010

Also by this author

»MORE

Featured Company

FurnitureCore.com

FurnitureCore.com is a dynamic web application aimed at the furniture industry. Retailers and manufacturers alike will find our deep reserve of tools to be exactly what their furniture business needs.www.furniturecore.com... more