The 'Why' Behind our 2022 Fall Curated Gift Box Collection

Each year, we release new curated gift box designs in the spring and the fall, or sometimes just one or the other depending on what other initiatives we have going on. This year, we launched a small spring collection consisting mostly of a Mother's Day Capsule Collection along with gifts for graduation and new hires, as you may recall. As we looked ahead to fall, what began as another relatively small collection quickly morphed into a very large lineup, which you'll see when you check out our...drumroll please...2022 Fall Collection! Of all the collections we've ever designed and released for the online shop, this one is my most favorite of all time. I'm excited to share with you the 'why' behind this very special release of gift box designs to give you a glimpse into how we go about curating gifts for you to send out to your friends, family, co-workers, employees, neighbors, and everyone else in your life. When we launch new designs, we usually spend a lot of time telling you about WHAT they are but not usually WHY they came to be. So this post will be a little different - hope you enjoy!

From the very beginning of Marigold & Grey, our goal has always been to design thoughtful and intentional gifts, containing gift box contents sourced mostly from small artisan makers, while making the gifting process completely stress-free for our clients. Along these same lines, the entire purpose of our 2022 Fall Collection was to double and triple down on being intentional so that, in turn, our clients can send out the most intentional gifts available in the market to those they value in both life and at work. Sure, the gifts are beautiful and aesthetically pleasing and that's crucial, don't get me wrong. But beyond that, do the items inside make sense? Do they tell a story? Do they support a cause? Do they truly speak to a situation or life event someone is going through? Do our clients need gifts for the occasions we're designing for and at the various price points we're offering them for? Will the gifts help our clients truly stand out in life and at work? Are we PROUD to put this out into the world? If answers to these questions were not 'yes', then in those instances, certain gift designs didn't make the cut. 

Now for a deeper dive into some of my personal favorites from the new collection with some background on how these particular ready-to-ship gift box designs came to be.

'You Go Girl'

We have always had a collection of 'congratulations' gift boxes but never a gift box that focused solely on congratulating and encouraging women and cheering them on in their milestones and endeavors. As a fully woman-owned and led business in support of countless woman-owned small business from whom we source our gift contents, having a curated gift box in our Ready-to-Ship Collection to accomplish this was really important to me. The mixture of productivity items with items to inspire made me actually tear up when we finally said "it's a wrap" on this gift during the photoshoot. In that moment, I shared with the team that I could so easily envision this gift box being given to women starting new jobs, getting promoted, making brave steps to relocate and start life over in a new city, starting a side hustle, quitting their full time job to start their own business, or even as a gift to thank female VIP speakers at corporate events. The possibilities are really endless with this one and I love being able to imagine how this gift box will touch so many women in their journeys, both in life and at work. 

For curated gift boxes featuring 100% contents made by woman-owned businesses, visit here. 

'Par for the Course'

 It's no secret that our gift box offerings have leaned more feminine since the very beginning. We have intentionally added more masculine leaning gifts over the years but for this one, 'Par for the Course', it wasn't about simply creating something more masculine leaning. I wanted something that would get far more specific to a recipient's personal interests in order for the gift to feel that much more personal upon receiving it. This gift is intended for the avid golfer and full of high-end memorable contents, including one-of-a-kind bottle openers made from vintage golf clubs (talk about a perfect way to upcycle!), the most beautiful coffee table book, and more. With golf being such a huge sport and growing, especially one that often blurs the lines between personal and professional, my hope is that our corporate clients can use this to connect with their clients in a way that feels intentional and spot-on. (And with my husband being as golf-obsessed as he is, it was so much fun having him help me with the curation of items, offering lots of feedback along the way to make sure we got it just right.) Worth noting that this gift box is not intended only for men as their are female golfers who I'm sure would enjoy this gift box. But since it does aesthetically lean a little more masculine, it's a great addition to our 'For Him' Collection. 

'Work Life Balance'

We've always had a collection of gift boxes focused heavily on productivity as well as a collection of gift boxes emphasizing self-care and relaxation, but never combined together in one box. Meet our brand new signature 'Work Life Balance' gift box containing contents for both productivity and self-care with an aesthetic that's sleek and modern, yet still soft and lush. But most important of all, this gift box features contents made 100% by female, Black-Owned small businesses. While we've long supported women-owned small businesses, including Black-Owned businesses, we really wanted to feature and support these business owners and their beautiful brands (Cloth & Paper, Bath Alliance, Butter Love Co, Be Rooted, The Raspberry Room, and Creek Candle Shop) all together in their own gift curation. Our hope is that gift design helps encourage work life balance with employee appreciation and new hire gifting, client gifting, graduation and job promotions, and for anyone who works hard and needs some down time.

'Another Round'

With the same philosophy and intent behind 'Par for the Course' to come up with a gift design to speak directly to a recipient's hobby or passion, please meet 'Another Round'! With so many women interested in golf, we wanted to offer a less masculine leaning option. The Swig tumbler that mimics a golf ball's appearance and the 'Another Round of Golf' gold foil score log are definite highlights!

To check out all of our Hobby-Centric gift boxes, including the all-new 'Book Worm' gift box, visit here. 

'Born to Be Wild'

We've pretty much always had New Baby Gift Box Collection since the beginning of time. And while these gift box options have always offered gender neutral designs, they also offered gift boxes with the ultra traditional light blue and baby pink that you're accustomed to seeing. But we realize that not everyone knows the gender of the baby they're gifting for and not all parents-to-be want to know the gender ahead of time. And even more, many of our clients enjoy baby items that aren't pink or blue and love to introduce other colors as well. This is how 'Born to Be Wild' came to be. I wanted to design a gift box that was literally 100% gender neutral and could truly be enjoyed by parents of any baby. And can we talk about the safari print on this swaddle and the linen-covered hardback Promptly Journal (tracking up to age 18)? To die for. 

'Take Good Care'

When we talk about intentional gifting, a big part of that is using gifting to connect with others in times when you may or may not know exactly what to say. One of the ways we've expanded our Sympathy & Thinking of You Collection is with the addition of 'Take Good Care'. This box really allows our clients to send something heartfelt and personal to someone who is grieving to go beyond the more traditional sympathy options like food or flowers. In addition to including gift contents that bring comfort and encourage self-care, we've included the linen-covered hardback Promptly Grief Journal as a very heartfelt expression of care and concern from the sender to the recipient to help them cope and heal in the days, weeks, and months to come.

'Get Well Soon'

Like I've mentioned, we've always had a self-care collection as well as gifts for wellness, but have long been needing a gift box focusing solely on 'Get Well' and I'm thrilled to say it's finally here. We balanced gift contents for healing (think: elderberry tea and small batch chicken soup mix) with gift contents for comfort (think: ultra-soft blanket and cozy socks) to hopefully allow our clients to send the ideal gift box for illness and disease, surgery recovery, and even those who are a little under the weather. This is another instance where I can actually envision recipients receiving this gift box design and the positive impact it will have. Feels so good to finally have this one out there in the world!

I hope you've enjoyed this glimpse into my thinking on just a select few of the items that make up the entire 2022 Fall Collection! We'd love to hear your thoughts! Which is your favorite new gift design? Drop us a comment or contact us here. We always love hearing from you. 

Images: Lissa Ryan Photography