Launched earlier this year, COLFORD is a new gift-wrapping provider seeking to disrupt the industry with a conscious and mindful approach to circularity.
With the festive season upon us, finding sustainable alternatives for gift packaging can be a challenge with many items wrapped in plastic or encased in single use wrapping which cannot be recycled. And, when sending gifts to many clients, this can result in a lot of unnecessary waste. That’s why Imogen Beresford and Nathan Cole set up COLFORD – a luxury gift wrapping service centred on circular values to help clients become more mindful throughout the gifting process.
Offering the service to both corporate and private clients, COLFORD’s considered approach does not mean a compromise on quality. Through extensive research, the duo has curated an expansive material library sourced on a strict set of criteria including ISO Standards and FSC certified papers. Working with recycled materials made from spent brewers’ grain and used coffee cups, the immersion of innovation into the world of luxury gift wrapping is a welcome change and one that could have a large impact on an industry valued at £19 billion in the UK. Finishing touches such as biodegradable cellulose ribbons, which can be recycled along with the wrapping paper, means the elegant presentation of a gift can be upheld without the materials ending up in landfill. And, with further material developments already underway, this is just the beginning.
Currently based in London and serving clients across the UK, COLFORD is already turning heads since its inception earlier this year. With the founders drawing on their experience at organisations such as the British Fashion Council, FLOWERBX and The River Café, they hope to celebrate British craft and excellence while embracing innovation, as well as partnering with a network of artists and designers. Alongside the gift-wrapping service, the team also offers distribution, digital design services, gift sourcing, shoot styling and bespoke creative workshops. “There’s so much to do in the move towards a more sustainable future and we want to play our part whilst contributing to the reinvigoration of the British paper, tissue and ribbon manufacturing industries,” comments Beresford. “Our USP lies in making it easy for clients to make more accountable choices.”
In offering reusable and fully recyclable gift-wrap solutions, COLFORD is changing the game, especially within the corporate gifting sector. Through its tailored approach and luxury aesthetic it is also upholding the quality found in the elegant tradition of giving and receiving gifts. And, while the appearance of these exquisitely wrapped gifts is enough to turn the heads of recipients, the conscious creativity behind them is sure to augment their appreciation.
Imagery courtesy of Sophie Stafford.
