PARIS, Dec 2 — To counter the gargantuan tons of gift paper thrown away at Christmas, two French entrepreneurs have designed a gift wrap made out of coated cotton which is "infinitely reusable.”

More colourful than kraft paper, easier than furoshiki and much more ecological than disposable paper. This is the promise of the brand "On s’emballe à la française,” founded by Lou Marion and Marie Ducos in 2020. The idea? To provide consumers with gift bags in coated cotton that can be used over and over again. 

Inspired by the Japanese art of making gift wrapping from a piece of fabric (the famous furoshiki), Lou Marion set out to find an ecological made-in-France alternative to the gift-wrapping paper that piles up in our garbage cans during the holiday season. 

The entrepreneur was seduced by the concept of coated cotton, that is to say a fabric coated with a waterproof layer strong enough to make gift bags that can be folded, taped and then reused and folded once the gift has been unwrapped. Graphic designer Marie Ducos came on board the project a few months later (in May 2020), and with Lou Marion they founded their brand and launched two reusable and ready-to-use gift papers (squares and pouches), available in several sizes and with four types of printed patterns. 

All the products developed by the young company are certified by the Oeko-Tex label (which ensures the absence of harmful chemicals). However, this label does not guarantee the organic or ecological composition of the textile materials used.

A large part of the composition of the products used by "On s’emballe à la française” is however guaranteed to be "made in France,” since the cotton is spun and printed in the Vosges  area and labeled "Vosges Terre Textile.” The waterproof layer is made by a company based in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. 

The two entrepreneurs explain in a press release that they "are continuing their research to improve the quality of their products, in particular by using recycling channels.”

Check out their Kiss Kiss Bank campaign. — ETX Studio