Editorial

Qalara at Sydney Gift Fair

Qalara first time exhibiting at Sydney Gift Fair — Courtesy of Gift Guide

Qalara’s first time exhibiting at Sydney Gift Fair

India-based digital platform Qalara made its first appearance at an Australian trade fair this month, showcasing its artisan made brands at the Sydney Gift Fair at Olympic Park.

The company works with a very wide range of materials for home décor, home textiles and kitchen and dining, explains founder Aditi Pany.

“For example, our ceramic stoneware range is made from seven different clays and baked on a very high temperature, so it is very strong and much more durable than regular ceramic”, she says of one of the collections on display at the Qalara stand.

“We have a very nice range of textiles that we do with various different patterns, linens and different kinds of weaves. Most of the textiles are made in the southern part of India.

Courtesy of Gift Guide

Courtesy of Gift Guide

“Our eco-friendly range of toys features some Australian animals like the koala and kangaroo, and are made from recycled wool, recycled polyester and recycled PET bottles.”

While Pany admits she wishes there was a bit more foot traffic coming through, feedback to the products has been very positive.

Qalara's products — Courtesy of Gift Guide

“We have two kinds of buyers we service with two different kinds of models. We have ready-to-ship products which come with an opening order of $250. That’s mainly targeted at the smaller boutique owners, smaller brands, interior designers and stylists.

We do a lot of made-to-order for importers, slightly bigger retailers or even the larger retailers who could be looking at 1,000 to 45,000 pieces. We will make the products and ship it to them.”

“So where possible we do low minimums, made to order and white labels where the business can put their own brand on it.”

After North America, UK and Europe, Qalara has seen good responses from Australia to its digital platform, so it was a good time to travel down under and test the waters.

“We thought, let’s go out there, be there in person and let customers touch, feel and see our products. Australia is very promising, especially after India and Australia signed a Free Trade Agreement last December. It’s a good time to build on that relationship,” Pany adds.

REGISTER NOW FOR MELBOURNE GIFT FAIR AT melbournegift.com.au

To view Qalara’s products, view their website www.qalara.com

Secure a position to exhibit at the next AGHA Melbourne or Sydney Gift Fair by applying online here or emailing sales@agha.com.au.

VIEW EDITORIAL FROM GIFT GUIDE ONLINE

Artist & Illustrator Alex Conan

Growing up Alex was an expressive and artistic student throughout her education, unfortunately her dreams of seeking a creative career came to a halt when Alex’s family needed her to assist in the family business. After years of working the family business Alex entered a few different workforces but none filled the void for her creative abilities. During this time Alex would create greetings cards, paintings and drawings for family and friends as a way to ignite her passion.

Alex didn’t realise she could give this art thing a go until she entered her painting titled “Mother” into the Bayside Arts Festival 2019. Having entered among hundreds of other artists Alex was thrilled to learn her painting was selected to exhibit alongside 30 finalists in the visual arts category. To sweeten the experience even more, Alex’s painting was voted “The People’s Choice” and this gave Alex the confidence to chase her dreams.

Since then Alex slowly and steadily built up her brand Alex Conan, where she explores and practices multiple media to keep her creative brain ticking. Having worked with many different clientele from corporate to small businesses and individuals she has created murals, book covers, logos, business assets, typography, illustrations, graphic scribe work and more.

“I love the thrill of working on a clients brief and nailing it”.

Thanks to the expansion of technology, the artistic age has evolved with an emphasis on digital media. As a way to combat the heavy use of digital media Alex undertook ceramics half way through 2022 to increase her skill set and to honor her artistic roots. “I have always wanted to study ceramics, the therapeutic grounding you experience when working with clay is like a massage for the soul. Also, playing a bit of Russian Roulette with the kiln always keeps things interesting!”.

Alex will be showcasing her “Universe” range of ceramic ware at this years Sydney Gift Fair. The Universe range consists of celestial beings and myths and legends. Alongside her ceramics Alex will also be sharing her range of greeting cards, wrapping paper and wall prints.

“If I had to do it all again I wouldn’t change a thing, I have finally arrived to my ‘road not travelled’ and it is a time for exploration and celebration”.

REGISTER FREE NOW HERE or go to sydneygift.com.au

To view Alex Conan products, view her website alexconan.com

Secure a position to exhibit at the next AGHA Melbourne or Sydney Gift Fair by applying online here or emailing sales@agha.com.au.

Bonita’s headwear featured on 9Honey

The owner of Bonita Shop, an Artisan Lane exhibitor (stand AL10) was interviewed by 9Honey about her battle with cancer and how it became the genesis of her headwear and turban business. The products Bonita Shop produces feature beautiful fabrics and designs to make women feel comfortable and confident.

A bruise and a pea-sized lump were the only clues that Macarena was in terrible danger

One month before a bruise and a pea-sized lump turned her world on its head, Macarena Erbs went to the doctor for a blood test and was told she was perfectly healthy.

The Chilean migrant was fit, active and happy, and with her 38th birthday just a few days away, she never would have suspected something sinister was growing inside her.

Then she discovered a miniscule lump in December 2020.

Courtesy of 9Honey

“I felt a little bit itchy and there was a tiny lump in my breast, like a pea or even smaller than a pea… but in my family, I never had any cancer history,” she tells 9Honey.

She would have brushed it off, but her partner at the time had a family history of breast cancer and urged Erbs to see her GP, who didn’t seem too concerned at first.

After listening to Erbs’ symptoms, the GP said the little lump “looked like nothing” but ordered a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy to be safe.

READ BONITA’S FULL STORY HERE HONEY.NINE.COM.AU

What followed was six brutal months of chemo, followed by a mastectomy and multiple reconstruction surgeries, then six weeks of radiotherapy to blast any remaining cancer cells.

Her treatment dragged out across 2021, through multiple strict lockdowns and border closures that meant that her family back in Chile couldn’t be at her side in her darkest moments.

“My family couldn’t come. The doctor and the hospital signed a letter for them to come but Australia rejected all the applications,” she says sadly.

Through it all, Erbs’ body never failed her, but there was one huge physical change that took a massive toll on her mental health and confidence.

“I asked the doctor, ‘Am I going to lose my hair?’ He said yes and I cried and cried,” she says.

Courtesy of Bonita Shop

Courtesy of Bonita Shop

Courtesy of Bonita Shop

“It’s part of our personality. It’s our confidence, every woman wears it in a different way. It’s part of who we are.”

Heartbroken by her hair loss and deeply conscious of the fact it marked her visually as a cancer patient, Erbs stocked up on turbans and chemo caps to cover her head.

She wanted to feel beautiful and confident, but everything she tried was either uncomfortable, poorly made or sorely lacking in colour and personality.

Having inherited her Chilean grandmother’s love of sewing, Erbs decided she could make something much better herself – so she did.

“I had a sewing machine here, so I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to make my own headwear’,” she says.

Going through cancer treatment, Erbs knew exactly what fabrics and designs would make a woman feel comfortable and confident while facing such a deadly disease and got to work.

After creating a few turbans for herself, people started asking her to sew them for friends and family going through cancer treatment and Bonita Shop was born in 2021.

“Bonita means ‘beautiful’ in Spanish, my native language, and you’re beautiful no matter what,” Erbs says of the meaning behind the name.

Despite the terrifying start to her cancer journey, Erbs made it through treatment and came out the other side cancer-free, but she wasn’t done with Bonita Shop.

Since then, Erbs has turned the business into her full-time passion and now employs other women migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers to create her designs.

Even before her diagnosis, Erbs was working with Migrant Women In Business to support other women like her and is proud to help her staff achieve independence and employment.

“I’ve been in Australia for seven years, but as a migrant woman I think it’s always good to be part of a group where other women are and see that you face similar challenges,” she says.

Language barriers, cultural differences and other hurdles can make it difficult for migrant women to find work when they arrive in Australia, but Bonita Shop is making a big difference.

The business also donates a portion of all sales to breast cancer research in Australia.

“For every turban that I sell, the migrant women are getting a little bit of that, cancer is getting a little bit of that, I’m getting a little bit of that to continue [the business],” Erbs says.

In February she will be at The Sydney Gift Fair with Migrant Women In Business to show off Bonita Shop’s hair accessories in support of other women going through cancer treatment.

She plans to continue to give back as the business grows and hopes her story can inspire others who struggle to regain their confidence after losing their hair to chemo.

In February she will be at The Sydney Gift Fair (18-21st February) with Migrant Women In Business to show off Bonita Shop’s hair accessories in support of other women going through cancer treatment. ABN holders can register to attend the Sydney Gift Fair for free.

REGISTER FREE NOW HERE or go to sydneygift.com.au

Secure a position to exhibit at the next AGHA Melbourne or Sydney Gift Fair by applying online here or emailing sales@agha.com.au.

New range of homewares for The Russell Collection at AGHA Melbourne Gift Fair

If you’re a fan of sea creatures then the latest range from The Russell Collection will be a great fit for your store.

Featuring crabs, whales, octopuses and many more, the new Atrini homewares collection was a hit at the recent Melbourne Gift Fair.

Business Image — Courtesy of Gift Guide Online

“The new range of homewares has been going gangbusters and we are very happy to see it sell,” says Will MacMahon.

“We introduced new products across all our ranges. New coloured glass, new aluminium homewares, new baby, new giftware.

“Obviously our coloured glass has been amazing and stands out for most people, so this line always does really well.”

Overall, the fair has been great for The Russell Collection with 25 per cent new business. “We also saw many of our existing customers, everyone had come out and was spending money.

“In fact, the fair was better than we expected. We came to the fair with the expectation of doing well, but with everything that’s going on right now such as rising costs and our customers probably feeling the pinch, we were worried that their spending wouldn’t be there.

“But we have been really surprised with the amounts that have been spent and the number of people attending has been great, so we’re really happy.”

Indeed, The Russell Collection has already booked its spot at the next Sydney Gift Fair in February 2023, so if you missed them in Melbourne make sure you check them out in Sydney.

REGISTER FREE NOW HERE or go to sydneygift.com.au

To view The Russell Collection products, view their website russell-collection.com.au

Secure a position to exhibit at the next AGHA Melbourne or Sydney Gift Fair by applying online here or emailing sales@agha.com.au.

VIEW EDITORIAL FROM GIFT GUIDE ONLINE

IsAlbi at AGHA Melbourne Gift Fair

EDITORIAL FROM GIFT GUIDE ONLINE:

As one of the founding members of AGHA, it was great for IsAlbi to exhibit at AGHA Melbourne Gift Fair this year.

Independent Studios and Albi merged in February 2021 to become IsAlbi and hasn’t had the chance to exhibit at a trade show under one umbrella.

“We haven’t been able to show all our products together due to all the Covid restrictions and no trade fairs being held,” says Hardy.

“So, the Melbourne Gift Fair is the first real opportunity for buyers so see it all in one place, like a one-stop-shop.”

While the company organised a new season launch in July and flew buyers from all around the country to its showroom in Melbourne for a preview of its key products, Hardy still believes in the benefits of trade shows, even though he has seen foot traffic decline both in Australia and overseas.

“Globally, trade shows are decreasing in both attendance and exhibitor numbers, we have seen that over the last few years and obviously Covid hasn’t really helped. But it’s one of the things we want to keep going, we want to keep the retail trade prosper.”

With 40 salespeople on the show floor to help buyers navigate their way through all the new collections, the brand’s staples were the most popular including Euroscrubby, Frosty the melting snowman and the latest Rogue collection.

“We have just rebranded Rogue. We have appointed a new brand manager, Vanessa Wong, and she has really injected a lot of newness and freshness into the brand. For example, the new line of handmade orchids looks fantastic and we’ve had a great reaction to that.

“People are creatures of habit, so they go for what they know, what’s been tried and tested. They might take a few gambles, but one of the key products that was sold at the fair has been one of the top selling products for the last six years.”

IsAlbi is also releasing four new print catalogues this year for kitchen, gift, homewares and Rogue.

“We are putting a lot of effort into our new print catalogues. Many are stepping away from this and moving to digital, but we still think they are important. We are sending them out to all our customers, so those who couldn’t make it to the fair they can still check out all the new ranges.”

To view Isalbi products, view their website isalbi.com.au and view their Gift Fair LIVE video segment here.

Secure a position to exhibit at the next AGHA Melbourne or Sydney Gift Fair by applying online here or emailing sales@agha.com.au.

New wall art range for Maison by Rapee

EDITORIAL FROM GIFT GUIDE ONLINE:

Known for its cushions and textiles ranges, Rapee has introduced a new range of wall art, offering customers a complete solution under the Maison by Rapee brand.

“We have only just started with the artworks and they were really popular at the Melbourne Gift Fair,” says Rapee’s Warren Sharpley.

“The designs coordinate back with our cushions and other ranges, so buyers love it. They want to have a total solution. They want to see it visually and how it will be resonating in their home, so by offering a solution that is coordinated and easy, it sells really well.”

Indeed, the gift fair was really good for Rapee, which together with Maison by Rapee falls under the Charles Parsons Homewares Group. Especially on the first two days a lot of new customers came to the stand.

“For us being at the trade fair it’s all about those new leads, that’s always what we’re trying to do these shows for, reaching out to the customers we don’t know,” says Sharpley.

“We’ve have also done some top-up orders which has been good as well, but lots of existing customers have placed orders already. We have a team that visits them all across the country during the year.

“After the longwinded Covid effects it has been a pretty good show. It certainly has met my expectations.”

To view Rapee products, view their website rapee.com.au

Secure a position to exhibit at the next AGHA Melbourne or Sydney Gift Fair by applying online here or emailing sales@agha.com.au.