Stationery Trends Magazine

Skirting the Issue

You need never look far for bad economic news, especially during an election year. But the news is not necessarily all bad. One economic indicator concerns skirt hems. The Hemline Indicator, reportedly introduced by University of Pennsylvania Wharton School professor George Taylor, hypothesizes that women's hemlines can indicate macroeconomic performance. The more revealing, the better the economy. Business Insider analyzed skirt and dress hemlines at New York's Fall/Winter fashion week, measuring 2,092 images from 25 designers and comparing year-on-year changes. The BI Hemline index measures hem length as a percentage of length from floor to waistline; the shorter the hemline, the higher the index. It found average hemlines registering 44.38, up from 35.04 for the Fall/Winter 2011 collections. So, if the economy isn't looking up, at least women's fashions are. And when it comes to brides, they're probably more design savvy than ever, even as…  » Read more

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Ink onto Paper

Envelopments carved a distinctive niche and continuously stays relevant as the originator of the mix-and-match system and trademark owner of Pocket Folds and Envelofolds. With more than 250 stocks, they offer the widest selection of card stocks, papers and envelopes, explained Ramon Gomez, design manager. "Our goal has always been to enable the design of custom communiqués," he described. "We strive to be as diverse as possible to stay relevant to the different types of brides. Trends are cyclical - what's old is new again - so we design for the spectrum of modern to traditional; over-the-top to subtly sophisticated." To delve into licensed designs, then, can be viewed as something of a risk since it ties the brand to that of an artist. The company first started working with Anna Griffin in the 1990s and offers three of her patterns, but was more recently…  » Read more

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Rebecca Schmidt Rubensaal

Invitations and paper ephemera from Mr. Boddington's Studio don't look like those from any other company, and the firm is like none other, too, in that no one has actually met its mysterious namesake. If you call and request to speak to him, you might be told he is revisiting the hillside in Udaipur, India, where he first applied silk to the back of a postcard ... but most likely you will be met with silence. That is because he is an imaginary friend born during the childhood of Proprietor Rebecca Schmidt Rubensaal. With the imagination serving as inspirational canvas, the design potential is limitless, and output from the studio is appropriately full of flourish-filled surprises and upscale details. Stationery Trends interviewed Rebecca to learn more about Mr. Boddington's elusive origins as well as the line itself. Background & BusinessST: Can you tell me a…  » Read more

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Virtual Reality

Creativity, a desire for self-expression and a truly personal touch are ideal attributes for establishing not just a letterpress studio, but also a retail space. When the driving force behind it all is creative visionary designer Suann Song, dreams take flight and ideas transform into reality. For as long as Song can remember, she's had a love affair with all things paper. For years, her hobby was creating thank-you notes and birth announcements for grateful friends and herself. What began as a leisurely pastime evolved into a design blog - http://simplesong.typepad.com - in 2006 when she decided to leave her job in public relations and event planning to stay at home with her newborn son, Ike. The blog, which celebrates design, focuses on things Song finds personally inspiring - be they crafty, handmade or just simply beautiful. The blog became the foundation for Song's own…  » Read more

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From Monologue to Conversation

Something very interesting is happening with trends. Once they were dictated to consumers, and no one knew whether they would be embraced or ignored was a matter of time. In terms of fantastic flops, remember the brief 1985 existence of New Coke? And in terms of successes, recall how Titanic dominated our culture for months in the wake of the 1997 film release? (It may even experience a second wave when it's re-released in 3-D and IMAX this month.) Those sink-or-swim days may soon be relics of the past, however, as consumers now play an active role in trend formation. To ignore their desires is done at a brand's own risk. And major players are responding. A New York Times article reported that, "The Omnicom Group, the world's second-largest advertising company, is helping to start an agency to identify emerging trends in popular culture and…  » Read more

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Marketing in a ‘Fan,’ ‘Like,’ ‘Follow’ World

Meeting and interacting with people in your industry provides you with connections you need to move your business forward. Networking skills even provide you with connections you didn't think you would need - until you did. Luckily, there's an app for that. Several, actually. Never have there been more opportunities to engage your buyers. Social media, it seems, has overtaken the Internet. While some may bemoan its presence as taking away from that "personal" connection, social networking has created myriad opportunities for marketers to reach out to consumers and engage them on a whole new level. According to Social Media Examiner, there are more than 800 million active Facebook users - 53 percent of whom follow at least one brand on Facebook. Mashable went on to reveal that when consumers follow a brand, it's because they're current customers (58 percent) or want to receive promotions…  » Read more

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Fall & Winter Show Wrap-Up: Positive reports from around the globe

Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings MarketThe Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market at AmericasMart Jan. 11-18 experienced soaring registrations, nonstop order writing and exclusive product introductions, setting the pace for projected double-digit growth, according to Jeffrey L. Portman, Sr., president and chief operating officer. Packed hallways, showrooms, booths and elevators, and standing-room-only seminars, events and demonstrations across AmericasMart's more than seven million square feet of space characterized the market. "This market will go on record as defining the renewal and recovery of global retailing as buyers and sellers vote with their feet, and their order writing, in an event destined to help restore hope and promise to retailers and manufacturers everywhere,"said Portman. A renewed confidence and optimism among retailers and a marketplace full of new lines, designs and introductions fueled robust buying at levels not seen in five years. Showrooms and temporary exhibitors…  » Read more

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