SPRING//SUMMER 2018 59 58 SPRING//SUMMER 2018 JULIA FAIERS discovers why social stationery’s star is rising with millennials and oldies alike SOCIAL stationery inspires a powerful emotional response in both sender and recipient. Digital junkies, luddites and everyone in between all love to receive a hand-written note or letter. For the sender, there’s often as much pleasure in selecting the stationery as in writing on it. Far from dying off as a result of the tech revolution, writing paper, note cards and invitations are enjoying a renaissance. And it’s not just Granny who wants to do things the old-fashioned way. Millennials and children are fuelling growth in this exciting sector. Companies like Papier are driving the love affair by using technology to put their product range in front of a young audience for whom tech is an inescapable part of their lives. They’ve recently launched the Papier app, which allows users to pick, personalise and pay for greetings cards and stationery from their phone. Papier isn’t alone in recognising its youth audience. Chronicle Books executive publishing director Christina Amini has noticed that the more time people spend online, the more they crave anything analogue, especially the tangibility of real paper. Amini says: “Millennials are spending the most time online, but millennial females are purchasing notecards, going back to paper planners, and journaling in a way we haven’t seen since the height of scrapbooking days. Every generation is looking for ways to connect, and our job as gift and stationery providers is to help people to do that.” Pemberly Fox director Anthony Rawlence comments: “Due to the rise of social media, particularly among the younger generations, there is a great deal of ‘noise’ which needs to be filtered through, which I think will begin to act as a deterrent and a wish to return to the old way of doing things.” Esme Winter’s mission with its social stationery is ‘enriching the art of correspondence’ and has created a new range of hand-printed letterpress cards in collaboration with artist Lucy Augé. Every detail, from paper weight to texture and choice of ink has been chosen to sensitively translate Lucy’s artwork into an elegant and tactile collection ‘perfect for a meaningful handwritten message.’ This personal touch is a key reason for the continuing popularity of social stationery. Julie Bell, of Julie Bell Stationery, comments: “A card is also something tangible – I still have a birthday card sent to my grandmother by her brother during the First World War. Sadly he never returned. Having this card is a connection to a relation I never knew.” Yes, writing and sending a letter takes effort, but Dear To Me Studio’s Elly Vvaller describes its immeasurable value, commenting: “Margaret Shepherd summed it up perfectly in her book The Art of the Handwritten Note: ‘it’s like dining by candlelight rather than flicking on the lights.’ Somehow it feels more decadent and luxurious.” TREND WATCH: SOCIAL STATIONERY Papier,in collaboration with designer Matthew Williamson Pemberly Fox DearTo Me Studio EsmeWinter collaboration with LucyAugé Turtles by Julie Bell Stationery: engraved onto paper made from used coffee cups Watercolor Workshop notecard set, Abrams & Chronicle Books THE PERSONAL TOUCH One Pen two shades Colour and sparkle like never before! NEW! UNIQUE! Amazing iridescent colours – different on dark or light coloured paper Pentel (Stationery) Ltd., Hunts Rise, South Marston Park, Swindon, Wilts. SN3 4TW. Tel. 00 44 (0) 1793 823333. Email: salesoffice@pentel.co.uk. www.pentel.co.uk STAND M507