Despite the stormy weather over the past few days, visitors were out in force at Top Drawer, Olympia, yesterday (Monday February 21), to see the newest launches across gifts, home, wellbeing, fashion, jewellery, greeting cards and stationery.
“It’s been an amazing show,” confirmed Jellycat’s sales director Mandy Pugh. “Considering the bad weather, everyone made the effort, with many people travelling long distances to be here. We’ve launched our new Christmas ranges, with people wanting to come to the show to see the latest Jellycat designs in real time.” Added Mandy: “Over the past two years, it’s been important to us to make people smile, as we felt that our loyal customers wanted to see new designs, new collections and new characters.”
At Powder, founder and designer Lisa Beaumont told GiftsandHome.net: “It’s wonderful to see so much optimism around, which is reflected in our new launches and our vibrant, colourful stand. New for summer are kimonos, loungewear and embroidered bags, with the response from buyers overwhelming.”
At Denby, design director Richard Eaton highlighted the success of the company’s new Kiln collection. “We’re delighted with the reaction to the range which builds on handmade aesthetics making each piece slightly different. Overall, it’s wonderful to be at such a good looking show, and to see such a huge of amount of new product, not just from the bigger brands but from the smaller designer-makers too.”
For Sue Ure, founder of Sue Ure Ceramics, a Gift of the Year finalist, the show was an opportunity to unveil her new Ambit collection, which features mugs and beakers. “Following a soft launch, Top Drawer is Ambit’s official launch,” confirmed Sue. “The beakers are especially versatile, and can be used for coffee or pudding, or for other purposes around the house to include as a plant holder. While the collection is currently in monochrome I will be introducing colour later this year.”
Elsewhere, another Gift of the Year finalist, Olor, revealed that the company had had a hugely successful debut at the show. “We’ve found that the colours and the packaging have drawn people to the stand to see our candles and reed diffusers,” commented Olors’ co-founder Louise Rogers. “We’ve had interest from a wide spectrum of buyers, as well as businesses asking us to do collaborations with them.”
Today (February 22) is the third and final day of Top Drawer with the show closing at 5pm.
Visit www.topdrawer.co.uk
