In 2014, Ashley Fouyolle was joking with her boyfriend about creating a gift wrapping line that featured Kim Kardashian on the print. A year later, she saw the reality star create the idea herself and decided that she could no longer put off a project she was passionate about.
That’s the moment her luxe gift wrap business Unwrp was born.
In 2017, the Brooklyn-based graphic designer unveiled the luxury gift wrap line, which features bold and eye-catching prints. Her goal was to create a product where art meets functionality.
Fouyolle talked to ESSENCE about the journey to creaing the brand and the hope she has to give each customer.
“I’ve always pinned the different patterns and different designs but they were all kind of the same, and it’s all like, ‘okay I’ve seen that, I’ve seen that,'” says Fouyolle. “So I definitely wanted to create something that I was looking for and that I knew my friends would be looking for.”
Fouyolle just launched her website on November 1st. The site offers nine chic designs. Bringing her company to life doesn’t end with debuting the merchandise — she’s paying it forward as well.
This cyber Monday, Fouyolle is rolling out a new collection that collaborates with millennial designers to unwrap and unveil their talents too.
“I’m partnering with five to six artists and I’ve given them creative freedom to come up with whatever they decide to extend their catalog but also offering clients gift wrapping that feels lux,” says Fouyolle.
While most wrapping paper gets tossed out on Christmas morning, with no regard for where it goes next, Fouyolle hopes that with her own designs and the creations of her collaboraters, customers will want to savor the paper, reuse it or perhaps even appreciate it for the art that it is.
“Some people do like to recycle their wrapping paper so we promote that if you don’t want to get rid of your wrapping paper you can also frame it, you can create other things with it like place mats or as little artwork around the [holiday] table,” she adds.
As an added bonus, you can customize your Unwrp gift paper experience too.
Whether you’re wonderfully woke or bursting with Black Girl Magic, Fouyolle is willing to provide a personal purshase for each client.
“In the second release, I’m going to really promote the customization because imagine receiving a gift that was custom and personalized to your aesthetic, then that makes the gift even more enjoyable,” she adds.
Agreed.
