Waiting for the stand to clear, almost.
Tea towels and brooches
Wrapping paper
Tea towels
Notebooks
Cards
I am very excited as this week I will be joining the team at The Arthouse Meath as one of their Art Instructors, so it was great to see their new range of products and designs. It was also nice to hear that Mary Portas, Mary Queen of shops made a surprise visit to Pulse London. Although I missed her I heard that she was very keen on the Arthouse Meath's designs. Returning home I found the following article in GiftwarePro.
GiftwarePro
Mary Portas hails design shift during Pulse visit.
Retail guru Mary Portas dropped in on Pulse today, telling GiftwarePro that the quality of products on show suggests the market is witnessing a renewed emphasis on genuine art and design. Portas, who has fronted the Mary Queen of Shops and Secret Shopper TV programmes, made a surprise visit to Earls Court this morning and spent time touring the exhibition hall with business partner Peter Cross.
During a break from viewing the brands and products on show, she told us: “What I am really liking and starting to see is greater simplicity in design - and also that slightly handmade look, which makes me think that there is this sort of feeling that the consumers want stuff that is not about bling and brashness anymore, but more really meaningful things.”
She added: “A lot of what I am loving is that we are seeing probably what feels like a return to genuine design and art.” Portas said several brands had impressed her, including the work of Becky Baur, who makes contemporary cushions and ceramics. “A couple that have caught my eye are the ones that are doing stuff which is linked back to a charity in some way or developing a third world production and I think that is really interesting,” she said.
Portas’ appearance at Pulse comes just three weeks after it was revealed that she will lead an independent review into the future of the high street.
