Stationery and lifestyle brand specialist Vevoke has entered the pet gift category with a collection of products from renowned UK heritage brand Cath Kidston.
Speaking with Giftguide at Reed Gift Fairs Sydney, Vevoke managing partner, Chris Dibley, says this was a logical extension to the successful launch of the Cath Kidston stationery range.
“We have never sold pet accessories before, but they approached us and we took this on after we undertook some research on the market and the category,” he explains.
“We have received a strong response from buyers at the fair.
“Cath is the queen of vintage and has been around for 30 years—she started as a young designer in London and is now a household name throughout the world. Last year we launched her cards, stationery, notebooks and diaries and they have been very successful and have become our strongest selling notebooks and diaries to date.
“So we are hoping this will extend into many gift stores with the introduction of the pet collection, which was launched a year ago in the UK through a large global company called Petbrands. We are the exclusive distributor of these products in Australia and stock will arrive in September, so we are taking orders at the moment.”
Dibley adds they conducted quite a bit of research before they committed to this range as it is not something the company would traditionally do.
“Our raison d’être is interesting and evocative artwork on various materials, so if you take that view for Vevoke then it is a no-brainer really.
“The other thing is that the pet category is clearly booming on the back of Covid—something like two million additional pets bought over the last two years on previous behaviour and the pricing on this range is really good, as Cath Kidston as an organisation has a policy of mass-market pricing and this range fulfils that promise, so we have had some very happy buyers.”
Created in 1993, Cath Kidston opened her first shop in London’s Notting Hill in 1993 and is known for hand-drawn prints reflecting its British heritage. In 2010, Kidston received an MBE for services to business from the Queen and in 2017 she collaborated with Disney to create a special print for the 90th anniversary of Winnie The Pooh.
The Cath Kidston brand is expressed in four values—Imagination & Curiosity, Ambition & Accountability, Authenticity & Ethics as well as Inclusivity & Warmth.
