It was a request from Totnes-based independent retailer, PaperWorks that clinched the decision for Sarah Thompson, owner of Sarah Lovell Art to get naked – or at least offer retailers an attractive incentive to order her cards uncellowrapped.
“It was when I heard from Jinnie [Baker] of PaperWorks, one of my stockists in Devon that she didn’t want any more cellos on cards that prompted my decision. She explained that they had trialled it and were doing fine without wrapping on the cards, so I’ve decided to take action too,” Sarah told PG Buzz.
Sarah wanted there to be an extra incentive for retailers to take her cards unwrapped so is going for it, offering a 15% discount to retailers for her unwrapped cards. Sarah has devised a special sign up that she will be showing on her stand (ZA57) at Top Drawer (Sunday 13 January – Tuesday 15 January, at London’s Olympia) which lays down the invitation – ‘Let’s go naked’ offering the 15% discount on any Sarah Lovell Art cards that are ordered unwrapped. “I realty want to encourage more people to order ‘naked’ cards for their shops, to help reduce plastic waste” Sarah told PG Buzz.
Top Drawer’s PaperAward SS19 Winners
There will be three Top Drawer greeting card exhibitors that will have some extra celebratory ‘dressing’ on their stands – the trio of winners of the show’s PaperAwards SS19.
The trio of PaperAwards, which are sponsored by GF Smith. were open to all exhibitors at the show. They were judging by a panel of industry experts and retailers with the final decision being made by votes from the industry.
The winner of the Engaging Print category was Pop! by Raspberry Blossom
Runners Up: Hotchpotch, Cambridge Imprint
Commenting on the triumph, Rebecca Crouch, co-owner of Raspberry Blossom said: “We are so thrilled to have won the award, especially with so many well known companies and beautiful designs that we were up against. We couldn’t quite believe it when we received the email! ‘Pop!’ is a collection born from a labour of love with lots of research with existing customers, design hours and development thrown in and for the collection to be given this recognition it is fantastic.”
(Raspberry Blossom will be showing three new collections, plus over 40 new designs within existing collections to launch. For everyone that places an order at the show, they will receive a surprise prize party popper. They contain a Spring time theme and lots of prizes including free cards or personalised prints and lots more.
The winner of the Emotive Design category was The Cardy Club
Runners Up: Maya Stepien by Lagom Design, Fossile By The Art File
The winner of the Exciting Use of Colour award was Magic Numbers by Lagom Design
Runners Up: Dicky Bird, Meraki
The finalists were decided by a judging panel made up of Top Drawer event director, Alejandra Campos; G.F Smith’s Abbie Ross, Janet Stevens and Mark Jessett, as well as Emma Hawkins from Fortnum & Mason, Audrey Woollen from Urbanic, David Hicks of Really Good, Sidone Warren from PaperSmiths, Lucy Sticka and Heidi Richardson of Little Paperie, Lisa Valentine from Home, Ariane Holford from Fox and Star, Angela Dobson of Feather & Nest, Holly Tucker from Not On The Highstreet, Andrea Bates from InsideStore London, Emily Catchpole of Waterstones, Mark Janson-Smith from Postmark, Preena Patel of Design Museum, and Hazel Walker, who was at the time was working for Paperchase.
Visitors to Top Drawer will have the opportunity to see the winning and shortlisted designs, and meet the winners and finalists in person, at the PaperAwards ss19 showcase in the heart of the Greetings & Stationery area.
Elsewhere in the show, innovative greeting card publisher Growing Greeting has made it into the final shortlist for Top Drawer’s Spotted Award. A panel of seven industry professionals has chosen the 10 exhibitor brands who will go forward to the final judging of The Spotted Award on 13 January. The brands were judged on the following criteria: originality and innovation, commercial viability, clarity of brand and communication of message and quality of the design.
Among the ‘top ten’ is Growing Greeting. Founded by Giulia Cavalli her greeting cards grow into what she describes as ‘vegetable confetti’ incorporating seeds for edible sprouts. The seeds are all organic, the paper is FSC and the cards are packed by a social enterprise that employs people who are distanced from the labour market.
The judges of the Spotted Awards SS19, who selected the shortlisted brands were director of The Design Trust, Patricia van den Akker, buying and marketing manager for Design Museum Enterprises, Preena Patel, Sarah Hill of Finfo Design, Jackie Piper and Sophie Hughes, co-founders of Designed in Colour, PR and brand marketing manager for West Elm, curator of Spotted, Charlotte Abrahams and Top Drawer event director, Alejandra Campos.
Top: Sarah Thompson, founder of Sarah Lovell Art with some of her naked cards.
