Publisher works with AfroTouch Design and Eastern Print Studio for Kindred launches
As part of its commitment to diversity and inclusion, UK Greetings has recently collaborated with Eastern Print Studio as well as AfroTouch Design to bring traditional and colourful patterns influenced by religious and cultural events from the East as well as an authentic fusion of West African and western cultures into its greeting card portfolio.
Frances Billington, creative director of UKG, commented: “Ensuring our cards are inclusive and relevant is at the heart of what we do. The collaborations with Eastern Print Studio and AfroTouch Design means that the designs have creative authenticity that will resonate with the end consumer.”
The Eastern Print Studio is a cultural design-led card brand rooted in the desire to reflect Eastern design styles rich in heritage, textiles, and cultural traditions.
Launched in 2018 by Gurinder in West Yorkshire, the collections are inspired by traditional and colourful patterns from the East, often tailored to religious and key cultural events and celebrated in Western society today.
AfroTouch Design is a significant new collaboration for UKG’s Kindred brand and Georgina Fihosy, the creative force behind the collection, explained she formed the company back in 2016 mainly out of frustration around the lack of representation in the greeting cards industry.
“Giving a greeting card or gift on any occasion is about spreading love and drawing a smile, giving an AfroTouch Design product does just that, plus so much more,” Georgina said of her designs which feature African fabric. “It gives you a glimpse of the fusion of West African and western cultures and promotes the beauty of West Africa in both a unique and memorable way.”
The collaboration with UK Greetings, is all part of Georgina’s “mission to ensure that Black culture is equally reflected within the greeting card and gift industry”.
Having reached the finalists in the inaugural Best Diversity & Inclusion Range category in The Henries 2021 Awards, AfroTouch Design is also reintroducing its African fabric-finished Father’s Day collection, of 10 beautifully culturally-reflective cards which are available in three different colourways.
