It’s gifting season, and all that extra spending can have a negative impact on the planet. But we know you can’t not give gifts to all the special people on your list. If you want to shop smarter this festive season, choose something that’s kind to the community and ecosystem that’s part of its production.
From a stay in a Parisian hotel to an Italian cashmere sweater, we rounded up seven sustainably made gifts from Positive Luxury’s Brands to Trust.
Instead of gifting a thing, consider gifting an experience. McQueens Flowers, one of the UK’s premier floral designers, offers classes that teach you how to create an arrangement just like one of their floral masters. Your giftee will learn about design hacks and flower care from the McQueens tutor team, and they’ll leave with their own unique arrangement.
Made to order in Geneva with recycled Sterling Silver, these earrings from Eli-O are inspired by ancient Greek jewellery. Their name, Peristeri, means bird in Greek, and references the abstract bird carved into each earring. If you’re eyeing these, order them ASAP – they take three weeks to produce and deliver.
For the crafty person on your list, give them something they can make themselves, like this basket bag crochet kit from Iota Project. Not only is the silhouette super trendy, but they’ll be extra proud to carry it since after all their hard work. The yarn itself is sustainably sourced, and you can add a personal touch with one of the brand’s tassel charms.
Again, choosing to gift an experience is inherently more sustainable than gifting an item. Up the ante by booking them a stay at a hotel with sustainability woven into its ethos. You can’t go wrong in choosing Paris as the destination, and go with The Palace Hotel Lutetia, which prides themselves on their responsible practices. They use local suppliers, have an energy reduction plan in place, and they provide 50 litres of soup to the Salvation Army every month.
Give them a head start on their 2020 self-care resolutions with a luxurious face mask from Irene Forte. Formulated with sustainably sourced rosemary, lavender water and jojoba, they’re instantly feel calm when they apply it. It’ll soothe skin, too, as well as balancing and brightening the complexion.
This one’s a classic gift, but cashmere is so often unsustainable. Glenevan Mill ethically sources their cashmere fibres from Hircus Goats in China and Mongolia and weaves them on site in Scotland. They then use the traditional craftsmanship of hand intarsia to give their jumpers their unique – and vaguely retro – designs. You’ll be gifting someone with a piece they’ll have for decades.
Stocking someone’s bar cart during the festive season is always a good idea, but you want to find the ideal combination of both an unparalleled spirit and beautiful packaging. Clase Azul has both of those down, with its triple-filtered, oak-aged tequila in a decanter that’s hand-painted by artisans in Mexico.
