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If you’ve stopped by your local party store or pharmacy recently to get supplies to wrap holiday gifts, you’ve probably noticed a problem: all gift-wrapping products from bags to paper are overwhelmingly white. Santa is white. Baby Jesus is White. The Nutcracker looks like it’s only cracked macadamias. Where’s the diversity? To find it, we looked into Black-owned gift-wrapping companies to support instead of the usual Hallmark aisle offerings.
It’s important for children to see themselves represented in the imagery they take in, and this pertains to everything from the books they read to the shows they watch to the wrapping on their holiday presents. A handful of entrepreneurs noticed the whitewashing of gift wrap products and decided to do something about it. This year, when you’re ready to put that special toy or another present under the tree, consider wrapping it with products from these Black-owned gift-wrapping companies.
UNWRP
While much of the gift wrapping paper you find in stores this time of year is thin and rips apart when you open presents, UNWRP is doing things differently. Owned by Ashley Fouyelle, UNWRP creates beautiful, heavy-duty wrapping paper that you won’t want to toss out. It can easily be framed or repurposed as artwork because of its elaborate and gorgeous prints. All of UNWRP’s products are made from 30 percent post-consumer materials, are fully recyclable and are carbon-neutral. UNWRP doesn’t just make wrapping paper – they also make greeting cards, cloth wrapping and home goods. Every piece you order will features designs from the dynamic roster of predominantly Black artists creating for UNWRP.
