Earlier this week we launched our brand new Autumn Gift Set , mechanically packaged in a beautiful, occasion-appropriate box, which got us thinking about why do we still wrap our gifts?
The short story of packaging
While in the West this tradition seems rather recent, it is not the same in the East. The technique of pojagi , a Korean wrapping cloth with geographical patterns assembled together in the manner of patchwork , dates back to the 1st century AD . Similarly, furoshiki , a Japanese technique this time consisting of tying a reusable cloth around the present, dates back to the Edo era , that is to say between the 17th and 18th centuries .
It was only at the beginning of the 19th century that the bourgeoisie began to wrap their gifts with different decorative fabrics , often red, green or white, decorated with ribbons and lace .
The (accidental) birth of wrapping paper
Wrapping paper , as we find it in our supermarkets today, was the result of chance . It was 1917 in the United States and the Hall brothers , managers of the Hallmark stationery store , were having a great holiday season, making them short of wrapping tissue .
In order not to penalize their sales, the two brothers decided to replace the fabric with " French paper ", an idea that immediately won over their customers . The following year, the success was still there , and the same for the year that followed. Convinced of the prosperity of this business, the Hall brothers then created their own printed wrapping paper .
Gift Wrapping Today
Nowadays, wrapping paper comes in an infinite variety of colors and patterns . There are also different materials : matte, kraft, glossy, transparent paper... The choice is very vast . The shapes are just as different: you can choose to wrap your gift yourself or use bags, pouches or boxes adapted to it.
But with the question of the environment , the "origins" of wrapping paper are coming back in force. We have seen, for a few years now, the trend of furoshiki or the simple use of fabric instead of paper . Other people are turning to burlap bags, newspaper, tote bags, jars and boxes and even... no wrapping paper at all !
Enough to give you new ideas for wrapping your gifts next month! 😉