Inhabitat

December 6, 2007

Reusable Silk Gift Wrapping by Biota Collection

The art of furoshiki gift wrapping is a time-honored, ancient tradition, and Montreal-based Posch designs has put a new twist on this eco-friendly packaging concept with its latest reusable, silk fabric Biota Collection wraps. Rid yourself of the guilt of holiday gift wrapping excess and throw-away packaging by swaddling your gifts for loved ones in these gorgeous silk squares that can be used as a stylish alternative to paper wrapping. It’s gift giving with a conscience and a flair for luxury that lasts.

The Biota Collection is a collaboration of four Montreal graphic designers who joined forces to create limited-edition silk square serigraphs that are stunningly illustrated with endangered species such as the Beluga Whale, the Atlantic Walrus, and the Wapiti, to name a few. (More that 400 animal and plant species are listed as endangered in Canada, and more than 30 species are en route to extinction). The Posch team viewed this crisis as an opportunity to find better ways of doing things via the beautification and improvement of practices that typically generate waste and a throw-away attitude.

Posch donates 5% of profits made from the Biota Collection to the World Wild Life Fund. The sales from their fabulous tote shopping bags, which Inhabitat reported on in June 2007, go towards saving the fragile ecosystem of the last 500 Piping Plovers still alive in Quebec. Posch also donates 2% of all sales to Équiterre, a local NGO that empowers citizens by inspiring them to take everyday steps toward reducing their greenhouse-gas emissions. All good causes worth getting wrapped up in!

Biota silk scarf wraps retail for $15

+ Shop Posch/Biota Collection
+ Posch blog

Posch Biota Collection reusable eco-friendly silk gift wrapping furoshiki holiday 2007

9 Responses to “Reusable Silk Gift Wrapping by Biota Collection”

Daria Says:

December 6th, 2007 at 8:27 pm

Do you ask for it back afterwards??? That’s the problem. $15 a pop is not affordable but if you snag it back you might disappoint/offend… I like the concept but I’m wondering what the custom in the ancient tradition is for post gift-giving…?

Alexis Says:

December 7th, 2007 at 12:43 pm

I would think the custom would be to wrap it up for the next person? Its just another part of the gift you are giving. What I don’t get though is why you would spend $15 on it when you can probably find a scarf second hand for $2 to do the same. Its a good idea though! I will definitely be trying this out.

Missy Says:

December 8th, 2007 at 1:28 pm

Is the silk recycled, or is it virgin silk? If it is not recycled silk, then this is not animal-friendly at all. Please clarify. The wraps look beautiful…but are NOT green.

lorie Says:

December 9th, 2007 at 8:19 pm

well i wouldnt think you would ask for it back maybe you could give it to aomeone you dearly love and they would use it to rewrap for gifting to you. daria are you previously from mo ? if so its me lorie from the warehouse at jeffers.

lorie Says:

December 9th, 2007 at 8:23 pm

i hink they are lovely and regiftable.how charming

Mireille Says:

December 10th, 2007 at 12:33 pm

In answer to Missy,

Yes, all the silk are reused. We searched all around the city for these old squares of silk so popular in the 80’s. So we can say Yes, they ARE green ;)

And something not mentionned in this article, is that these silk squares are fabulous fashion accessories to wear around your neck. So, if you wrap a gift with Biota, you also give a new fashion accessorie to your loved one!

Luce Says:

December 10th, 2007 at 1:06 pm

Hello! I am part of the team who designed the Biotas. Just to clarify things a bit:

1) All the scarves are second hand, so we are using 100% recycled fabric.

2) The japanese concept of Furoshiki entails that when you arrive at your host’s house, you usually kneel down, unwrap the present, and give it to the hostess, then take back your Furoshiki for future use; however, we believe that the Biota wraps should be a part of the gift.

3) At 15$, I can assure you that we are barely making profit, as ethical fashion is a lot longer to conceive of and work with. For example, it took the printer 4 times longer than it would have with a “normal” project of, say, cotton t-shirts that are all the same size, and all the same fabric; this made for printing costs that are waaaay above normal.

4) These are one-of-a-kind piecs, as no two scarf is alike; in this perpective, 15$ is not all that expensive, as you can use it as a wal deco item after you’ve unwrapped your present; you may also use it as an ecofashion accessory and tie it around your neck in various ways.

5) We give out the information for wrapping for free on our website, so that people who do not have the budget to buy our products can still use the concept with their own fabrics.

Phil Says:

December 12th, 2007 at 4:34 am

Reminds me of a great idea my wife had for Christmas wrapping.
Stick them in a jute/hemp bag.
Cheap. Gives them an extra present and encourages the recipient to use the bag for shopping later.