A green light for giftware: looking to grow your business? Give yourself the gift of giftware and get a piece of the $36 to $50 million Americans spend on it each year - Statistical Data Included

Art Business News, August, 2002 by Jennifer Wong

Wieder said she also picks up on trends in fashion magazines such as InStyle. It's no secret that hot trends hit the runways first and trickle down to home furnishings, home accents, framing materials and giftware. Remember animal prints? They were first spotted on skirts and dresses and later showed up on handbags, pillows, journals and later, even candles. Now the rage is for toile, a traditional textile pattern which saw a revival on pants, shirts, shoes and purses and is now splashed on everything from couches and lamps to photo albums.

Following Trends

As a word of caution on sticking too closely to trends, Sarah Mandel, senior editor for Gifts & Dec, said that while there are a lot of trends going on in the industry, framers should stick with their instincts and keep in mind what their customers would like. "There's always a risk when you are on a hot trend," said Mandel. "It's difficult to say that what is hot in New York will be hot in Illinois. It depends on your area." And trends come and go in a blink of an eye. For instance, Mandel said that while the patriotic theme in giftware has been very hot since the events of last Sept. 11, she thinks that people are starting to tire of it.

While some trends are a flash in the pan, others have much longer staying power Consider the hot trend in all things baby. Gifts and accessories for baby is probably the fastest growing area in the gift industry today, said Susan Ceci, co-owner of Trend Frames & Accessories in San Diego. And the trend seems here to stay for some time for several reasons. An anticipated post-Sept. 11 baby boom has maternity wards gearing up for as much as a 25-percent increase in deliveries over last summer, reported the Associated Press.

The Sept. 11-effect aside, the U.S. is in the midst of a larger baby boom. The Christian Science Monitor reported a fertility boom that has pushed births to their highest level in 30 years. In addition, women who delayed having children in their 20s are now giving birth in their 30s and 40s all the celebrity moms on countless magazine covers. Reported in Vogues July 2002 issue, the hottest accessory for today's young model isn't the newest Gucci bag but a baby carried on the hip.

These extra stork deliveries bode well for the giftware industry. Ceci said because parents are older when they have children, they have more disposable income to spend on their babies. And there are a wide range of products available--no more are parents stuck with Walt Disney or ABC's for baby decor Now they can choose from softer, shabby chic styles to sophisticated uses of toile, cashmere, leather and shearling.

Besides the hot themes of patriotism, baby and toile, Gifts & Dec reported this spring a wide range of trends moving through the industry. They include: antique-looking cards, notes, journals, albums and frames; retro desk accessories; delicately jeweled and classic frames; letterpress stationary and cards; mod-ish paper and giftware that recalls the 1960s; stationary and books that celebrate femininity and fashion; floral designs in bright prints; and sensual textures on everything from boxes and photo frames to mirrors and gift tags.