Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - September/October 2020

49 COMPANY PROFILE Environmental matters Lawrence Savage, marketing manager at Exaclair tells us about the new Jeans and Cocoa range and the company’s plans for the future What was the inspiration behind the Jeans and Cocoa launch? The importance of the environment isn’t a new topic but it is a topic that is becoming more and more important to our customers. We therefore wanted to use our manufacturing expertise and extensive research and development resources to create a range that really stood out; for its design and long-lasting quality, as well as its innovation and environmental credentials. The result is a range made with recycled jean fibres and cocoa shells discarded by the confectionery industry; materials that we had never used before and work brilliantly. What were the biggest challenges you faced creating the Jeans and Cocoa range? Not having used these materials before, we needed to utilise advanced manufacturing processes that just weren’t in existence even a couple of years ago. What are your most popular products? The Jeans and Cocoa range has made a big splash, and is receiving considerable attention for its innovative, environmentally-friendly properties. Clairefontaine’s ‘My Creative Journals’ are another recent popular product; they’re fashionable and fun, allowing users to organise and journal in a creative and practical way and proving popular with students in this year’s elongated ‘back to school’ season. Also, the new Herbin refillable brush lettering pens have been a real hit, tying into the recent uplift in calligraphy and lettering trends. How do you keep your designs fresh and current? Do you follow trends? We keep our designs fresh and current by monitoring social media sites such as Pinterest and Instagram and working with influencers. As part of a large, pan-European organisation we have a great deal of resources to do this and it helps us to understand what colour palettes, design trends and crafting techniques are going to be the next big thing. The increasing importance of the environment and the Jeans and Cocoa collection is a good example of this research coming to fruition. What sets you apart from your competitors? I’d say we’re best known for the premium, long-lasting quality of our products, and we take great pride in this. From the quality of the paper in our notebooks, to the robust durability of our Avenue Mandarine toys and games, we believe this sets us apart from our competitors. What can we expect in the future from ExaClair? Later this year we will be releasing new Christmas products in the Decopatch range, such as polar bear mâché shapes and some really stylish, modern Christmas papers. We are also planning to extend our new Clean’Safe antimicrobial filing and desktop range, which allow employees to return to work and share files without worrying about cross contamination. EXACLAIR +44 (0)1553 696 655 www.exaclairlimited.com