A cost of living crisis combined with the growing realisation (or certainty in some cases!) that we don’t need more ‘stuff’ makes gift-giving tricky, but I’m still here for quality, low cost, ethical gifts to cheer up your festive season. As I always advise, consider giving to charity, there are some great initiatives at this time of year, like World Wildlife Fund’s Adopt a Koala, UNHCR’s Empowering Gifts, World Visions’ Charity Gift Card, The Smith Family’s Gifts from the Heart and plenty more.
1. Buy these beautiful candles made with natural Australian beeswax collected from bees and bee-keepers throughout regional Australia by Queen B. queenb.com.au
2. Why not buy some iconic design as a gift this festive season? It doesn’t have to break the bank. These red wine glasses designed by Alfredo Haberli for Finnish brand Iittala are only AUD40 for the pair. www.spacefurniture.com.au
3. Two Good Cook Book Two contains 100+ recipes in four chapters (Warm Days, Cool Days, Inbetweens and Sweet Things). Two Good helps support, empower and employ women with lived experience of homelessness, domestic violence and complex trauma through the creation of beautiful, high quality food and products. twogood.com.au
4. Give the gift of making! Lots of artists and makers create their own kits so you can craft your way through 2024. Sydney-based artist Kasia Jacquot sells gorgeous embroidery kits made with 100% linen, featuring her own designs. www.kasiajacquot.com
5. Some brands always do the right thing – Aesop not only never tests on animals and is cruelty-free, but is a Certified B Corporation, which means they meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. www.aesop.com
6. From Corban & Blair, this recycled leather journal is part of a collaboration with Thomas ‘Bagaay’ Avery, a descendant of the Gamilaroi tribe in northern NSW. The design shows the Woologangii River, represented with curved lines to show the flow of the river through the landscape. corbanblair.com.au
7. Kiwi brand Macpac sells this Atlas Recycled Backpack made from fabrics with recycled content and environmentally friendlier foam which contains a percentage of BLOOM™, a unique compound made from a mixture of algae biomass and EVA foam. www.macpac.com.au
8. Sienna is a Byron Bay-based nail polish company that is both certified vegan and cruelty free, with lots of great colours to choose from. This colour set is called Emergence Trio and hits just the right note for summer. sienna.co
9. Why not buy from a local maker rather than a big company? Melbourne-based production potter Sophie Moran makes amazing handmade ceramics that are also dishwasher safe. www.sophiemoran.studio
10. I still find giving and receiving books is a winner with almost everyone – give a book you already read this year or something aligned with someone’s interests. As well as publishing my own books (the most recent of which is Reclaimed: New homes from old materials), Thames & Hudson has a fantastic range of titles on art, architecture, craft, history, nature, humour and kids’ books. thamesandhudson.com.au
