For many of us, gift wrap is a practical purchase. It has one job: to hide a gift until the appointed time. What it looks like doesn’t really matter. But what if you could not only buy bold, artsy gift wrap designed by illustrators, you could give back to a good cause at the same time?
That’s the idea behind a new collaboration between Tictail, an online shopping destination featuring unique and emerging brands, and (Red), the AIDS-fighting organization co-founded by U2’s Bono. They’ve teamed up with four artists to create red-hued gift wrap designs for the holidays that will help provide life-saving HIV medication to people in Africa. Tictail has committed to donating at least $10,000 to (Red), which has raised over $365 million through shopping partnerships such as this over the past ten years.
Dutch graphic artist Rick Berkelmans‘ design is the busiest of the four, packed with all things wintry like smoking chimneys, hot beverages, trees, acorns, and woodland animals. Los Angeles textile artist Lilian Martinez stuck to a simple silhouette, representative of humanity, paired with the loopy script, “Everyone is equal.” Brooklyn-based Danielle Kroll used the repetition of swirly ribbons in her design to symbolize hope. Londoner Alec Doherty was inspired by the joy of shopping and created a series of people dancing gleefully across the gift wrap.
This limited-edition gift wrap sells for $25 for a set of four 18″ x 26″ sheets, with one sheet of each design per set. Shipping is free.
Normally, we’d say “it’s the thought that counts” when it comes to gift-giving, but with this collaboration, it’s all about taking action.
