WOVEN 2025, the festival celebrating textiles and creativity across Kirklees, officially launched at Oakwell Hall, Birstall, this weekend with World Stitch Day, and even the rain didn't dampen spirits.
The festival kicked off unofficially on Sat 31st May with the installation of the internationally renowned Red Dress, a symbol of global collaboration and creativity led by artist Kirstie Macleod. The launch event marks the start of a month-long celebration of textiles, heritage and community spirit, with events taking place across Kirklees throughout June.
Posted: 3 June 2025
A new drive to grow the number of small businesses in the UK, through targeted support for side-hustles and start-ups, has been announced by Small Business Britain and eBay.
The new Side-Hustle Lab – a free, six-week online programme, designed to help people get started, scale up, and build successful businesses – will launch on 4th June.
With the number of small businesses falling by 9 percent over the last five years – from a peak of 6 million in 2020 to 5.45 million in 2024 – the organisations are jointly calling for greater support for start-ups, and particularly businesses starting life as side-hustles.
Posted: 3 June 2025
A significant leadership change is underway at the globally active family-owned business Schwan-STABILO. With operations spanning Writing Instruments, Cosmetics, and Outdoor, and revenues of approximately 800 million, the Group employs more than 5,200 people in 38 locations worldwide. After nearly three decades in various leadership roles, Sebastian Schwanhäußer (61) will step down from his operational responsibilities at the end of the current fiscal year and assume the position of Chairman of the Advisory Board on July 1, 2025.
Posted: 29 May 2025
David and Charles is so thrilled to announce that its Spring 2025 release, The Bouquet in a Book, (ISBN 9781446314289, £19.99) , has been recognised with two accolades at the prestigious Gift of the Year Awards. The innovative papercraft title not only won the Affordable Gift category but was also crowned the overall winner by the panel of expert judges. Congratulations!
Posted: 27 May 2025
The winners of Gift of the Year 2025, organised by The Giftware Association, have been unveiled.
Gift of the Year honours outstanding products that capture the spirit of giving across the retail landscape. This year saw a record-breaking number of entries and some of the most inventive, heartwarming, and sustainable gifts the industry has ever seen.
These winners stood out for their exceptional design, innovation, and ability to wow the judges — who were made up of buyers and retailers — and ultimately will see their products in the hands of consumers, whether on the high street, online, or in boutique stores across the country.
Posted: 23 May 2025
Leading stationery brand STABILO is proud to announce the BOSS ORIGINAL Highlighter, has been awarded 'The Icon Award' at this year's Stationery Awards. The awards were held on Tuesday, 13th May, the first evening of The London Stationery Show, where the world's biggest stationery brands gathered in The Business Design Centre to celebrate new products and their latest offerings. Amongst 16 categories, STABILO was shortlisted in five, spotlighting its varied product offering, including sustainable features, stationery classics, and famous collaborations.
Posted: 22 May 2025
Craft Industry Alliance is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 Golden Scissors Awards, recognising excellence in the crafts industry. The awards ceremony took place live on stage at h+h Americas. Five outstanding craft professionals were recognised in front of an audience of several hundred of their peers for their contributions to the industry. The craft industry includes world-class corporations and thousands of visionary small business owners whose never-ending creativity continually lifts the entire sector to new heights. The Golden Scissors Awards are an opportunity for the industry to acknowledge those who have offered outstanding leadership and innovation and made important contributions to the industry as a whole.
Posted: 20 May 2025
h+h americas 2025 concluded its most successful edition yet, welcoming more than 5,180 industry professionals (29.7% increase over 2024) from 48 countries, all 50 U.S. states and 2 U.S. territories to the Donald E. Stephens Convention & Conference Center in Rosemont, Illinois. With 558 exhibitors representing 27 nations and a dynamic lineup of over 328 programmes, this year's event continued to set the standard as North America's most influential handicraft trade show.
Posted: 15 May 2025
Autumn Fair, the UK's largest B2B retail trade show for Home, Gift & Fashion of the season, returns to the NEC Birmingham from 7–10 September 2025, bringing together over 800 leading brands and 12,000+ retail buyers for four days of high-impact product discovery ahead of the busiest season in retail.
At the heart of this year's edition is a powerhouse line-up of industry favourites and bestselling brands across ten curated destinations who use the show as the perfect stage to unveil new products.
Retailers can expect to source from the likes of Candlelight Products, Bedeck, Ty UK, Gingko, Widdop & Co, Kikkerland, Sass & Belle, Bomb Cosmetics, Five Dollar Shake, Baby Republic, Ohh Deer, Powell Craft, and My Gifts Trade.
Posted: 13 May 2025
If you are looking to revamp your existing shop or are moving to a new shop, Creative Solutions Ltd. can help you. Make changes to improve appearance, the layout and overall customer experience, with the goal of attracting more customers and increased sales. There are numerous options for the display of haberdashery, threads, buttons, sewing and craft products as shown below.
Posted: 13 May 2025