Creativity results in gorgeous gifts, wraps

Creativity results in gorgeous gifts, wraps

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With Idul Fitri, Christmas and New Year festivities on the
horizon, people are getting busy buying gifts for their loved
ones and colleagues. Nowadays, handing over gifts is not merely
for birthdays or weddings but also for other occasions.

The first impression made by your gifts is very necessary. The
impression will be stronger if you can wrap them in a very unique
and stylish way.

It requires good judgment of the recipients' character, not
only in deciding what kind of gift, but also the wrapping. It is
also important to know that the gifts will be useful or
meaningful to the recipients.

Originality and creativity are definitely needed to create
beautiful gifts and wrapping. In fact, we can use simple
materials like banana and tree bark, wild grass, bird cages and
the forgotten (even dying) traditional treats.

Those items have been transformed into fantastic gifts by
noted interior designer Warwick Purser and famous fashion
designer/actor Robby Tumewu.

"Indonesia is rich with natural materials which can be created
into handicraft items. This potential must be respected and
explored," said Purser during the Gorgeous Gifts and Hampers for
the Holiday Season, held at Plaza Indonesia, Central Jakarta last
Monday.

He showed his skills by creating beautiful frames from banana
bark, wooden containers, fabrics and other artistic details from
ilalang (wild grass). He also used batik motifs for his leather
frame.

His products were made using local and natural materials. They
were produced and assembled by nearly 2,000 workers in his
workshop in Yogyakarta.

"It's challenging to find an original idea and if you love
nature it's easy to create something like these," he said, when
asked about inspirations for his creative products.

His tips for personalized gifts include knowing what the
person wants, never buying gifts from department stores (because
the person can get it him/herself) and never giving perfumes or
ties as each person has his/her own taste for such items.

Robby expressed his love for "old things" as gifts. He hunted
for some old favorite traditional snacks, like kue semprong ceper
(egg rolls), kue satu (meringue made of green beans) and kembang
goyang, some old glass containers for the snacks and some bird
cages and bronze bokor (traditional bowls) to wrap the snacks
with.

He said he got the inspiration when going to pasar burung
(bird market) in Barito, South Jakarta, recently. It was noted
cloth designer Obin who reintroduced the delicious charm of some
dying traditional treats.

"She took me strolling along some small and muddy alleys in
Glodok, West Jakarta, looking for traditional snacks. I enjoyed
it (exploring traditional markets) very much. But these snacks
were prepared by a friend of mine," he said.

"The snacks were among some old favorites, some are my
favorites too but they have been slowly forgotten and the old
glass containers that I use are also rare items and I only found
25 pieces," Robby said.

For him, making parcels is just a temporary business he does
if asked by friends.

"I didn't plan this business but friends called me and asked
me if I would create some parcels, so here I am," he laughed.

His parcels are embellished with local spices and paddy,
giving them a strong traditional look.

"I also use unique containers for the parcels, like these
(bird) cages. They would surely leave a lasting impression
because after receiving my parcels, the recipients would call me
and ask me how they can open these cages. And to tell you the
truth I don't know either," he laughed, while jokingly adding
that such confusion helped make the gift memorable.

Fahira Idris, founder of leading parcel company Nabila Parcel,
said art objects or antiques would always make a precious gift.

And to survive the economic crisis, gift consultants like
herself were challenged to create meaningful hampers even though
most of her clients had reduced their budgets.

"I would survey the clients to know what kinds of gifts they
were looking for," Fahira said.

Apart from antiques, her parcels include aroma therapy, books
with library accessories and a set of bathing products with
towels, among others.

While Plaza Indonesia also creates an extensive range of
beautiful holiday gifts for chocolate, tea, coffee and wine
lovers, cosmetics, baby's needs for mothers, pasta package for
cook lovers, silverware and potpourri.

But no matter what kinds of gifts you will hand over, your
attention counts most. And in the words of noted artist Christine
Hakim, who is also Plaza Indonesia Ambassador, "a meaningful gift
is not a matter of the price but the thought that went into
choosing them".