Best Gift Ideas
Trying to come up with the perfect gift for your best friend or close relative this festive season? Have you waded through endless catalogues of pointless junk that will be headed to landfill before Boxing Day? Then help is at hand! We’ve put together a list of the very best gift ideas for the festive season. Items on the list range from zero dollars – you heard right – to around six hundred. And there’s plenty in between! We’re talking everything from valuable vintage gifts that you’ve never thought of before, through to novel DIY’s. Half of these best gift ideas are fashion related and the rest are coming to you straight out of left field! And valuable. Whether you’re looking for that certain something for the person who seems to have everything, or simply want to ensure your gift is loved and appreciated, you need to check out these top 10 best gift ideas!
1. For the Fabulous Fashionista
With world class fashion illustrators on your doorstep – they’re in every state in the country – why not give a fun fashion illustration of your recipient. All you have to do is provide the photos and leave it to our talented illustrators to turn your fashionista friend into a work of fashion art! Check out our list to find the artist nearest to you, or to choose your preferred style. You can’t go wrong with this timeless, absolutely original gift!
2. Valuable Vintage
Vintage items are the ultimate gift for collectors and lovers of fine pieces.. Vintage beverages are highly prized. As are items recycled from vintage pieces into new collectibles. Take for example, a set of initals in cuff links or earings made from old type-writer keys. This makes an amazing gift for someone who loves vintage or writing and is a must if they have a foot in both camps. Or a neck piece that spells out a name or a word that has special meaning. A vintage radio, vinyl record, an inscribed vintage pen or even a vintage book with special meaning all make for special gifts.
On the clothing front, there’s an inspired selection of the coolest French and American vintage pieces from Midwest Trader. Well worth a look for that special piece for your vintage or Harley lover.
On the other hand, check out what’s trending on Depop via their explore page. It will bring up recycled or vintage items for sale near you. You can also enter your favourite brand and see what pops up within your budget. Check out the big ones like Gucci, Chanel and Versace. And don’t forget to view what they’ve got on offer in your favourite Aussie brands too!
3. Denim Delight
There’s no sign that denim’s going anywhere soon, so it’s a safe bet that a denim item or outfit will hit almost any mark this festive season. Why not give sustainable label Outland Denim a try? Stocking both men’s and womens pieces, and off the richter scale when it comes to social value, Outland Denim was founded to help generate funds to train and employ women survivors of sex trafficking. Their good work has so far resulted in the stable employment of 750 survivors. Even a simple gift card from this outfit will help give twice!
Or you might like to give Deadly Denim a try. These guys specialise in upcycling denim jackets, prettying them up with designs by First Nations artists. An Aboriginal owned business based on Noongar Country (Perth), part proceeds of their sales also go into an incredibly important charity. The Rhodanthe Lipsett Indigenous Midwifery Charitable Fund helps train, develop and support Indigenous
If you’re looking for a gift for an activist, look no further than a denim jacket from popular US based, Aboriginal owned Ginny’s Girl Gang. They stock denim jackets painted with love and heaps of slogan attitude to match! You might be cutting it fine to get them under the tree in time, but they’re well worth a look and should always be kept in mind for the next gift-giving occasion.
For those who are looking for denim that is ethical and sustainable to the max, you can’t go past Nobody Denim. Focused on reducing their carbon footprint to the absolute minimum, Nobody Denim is accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia. They’re also working with Sustainability Victoria and energy assessors to continually reduce their environmental impact. From growing and tracing the Aussie materials used in their new collection, Nobody Denim has produced the very first certified carbon positive Denim Collection. How’s that for a gift with huge value!
4. Modo Magic
It’s not often we recommend a brand from across the pond, but Modo, from New York City is one of those magical companies with a strong social responsibility that has seen it grow into a global powerhouse. With cool contemporary styling, Modo sunglasses are as sustainable as they are fashionable. When you gift Modo sunglasses, you’re helping to minimise impact on the planet. That’s because they’re made from recycled materials. On top of that you’ll also get one tree planted for every pair of sunnies sold. AND you’ll also be giving a free pair of spectacles to someone in need. Massive stretch for your dollar!
Closer to home, OPSM stocks a wide range of brands and give some of their proceeds to One Sight. Their partner charity brings eye exams, glasses and permanent vision centers to those who cannot otherwise afford them. And that includes those in Australia!
5. Style Stakes
Know anyone whose wardrobe could do with sorting? Then you might want to gift a personal stylist or shopper? If your bestie has a perpetually cluttered wardrobe stuffed with crushed clothing, their daily routine could be made a lot easier. A personal stylist can help with sorting what stays, what goes, and what else is needed! There’s an entire profession in this country, who enjoy helping sort wardrobes and everyone’s best look. Personal stylists help sort through all that accumulated stuff that that hasn’t been worn in a while, that isn’t discarded on the off-chance it might. They’ll establish what’s missing from the basic collection and what can be added to give it a lift – always with a view to making the wearer feel both comfortable and like a (cool or casual) million dollars.
6. Delectable Delicacies
Some of the most appreciated gifts are the ones that are the most personal. Take those hand-made little delicacies that seem to require entire epochs to make. Why not put all those tried and tested baking trials you practised during lock down to good use to make some delectable delicacies. Personal, hand made truffles, breads, jams, cakes or biscuits make a wonderful gift. For those on a budget, you might be surprised to discover that the DIY gift is the one that is often most remembered and most appreciated!
7. The Gift of Time
Perhaps the most thoughtful gift of all, this one’s for the person who has everything but time. It’s also the hardest to deliver because it means you’ve got to commit to delivering. It might be mowing the lawn once every six weeks, getting the ironing done every fortnight, giving a set of lessons in how-to-use the latest tech gadget, or even cleaning their flat once a fortnight. Once you’ve settled on that one thing that would make a huge difference to your bestie or whoever you’re giving it to, all you need to do is prepare some beautifully prepared vouchers. Outline what it is exactly that you’re going to do for them. Then you have to commit to following through with your promise. Simples.
8. Hippopotamus Heaven
Almost everyone loves hippos, from a distance, of course! Weighing over three and a half thousand kilos, these giants are incredibly important to the ecosystems in which they live. In fact, they are the life- force of African rivers. That’s because they provide important nutrients to fish, birds and plant life. Hippos also provide incredibly important trails that serve as drainage channels during floods, along with keeping main channels open. Sadly, there are entire countries, where hippos no longer exist. With declining numbers, they are classed as a vulnerable species while Pygmy Hippos are classed as endangered.
For the animal lover in your life who already has a menagerie, or for some reason is unable to keep pets, why not adopt a hippo?! The World Wild Life Fund offers adoption kits. Either as virtual or actual adoption kits, they include an adoption certificate and a soft toy hippopotamus.
If hippos aren’t for your bestie, there are loads more endangered species to choose from for adoption. You can even find something closer to home. There’s a range of Australian animals that are listed on the WWF adoption site, including Kangaroo, Koala and Quokka.
9. Go Bananas
If you’re still stuck for ideas, how about gifting an experience? New outfit Banana Lab have bundled up exciting experiences into an eco-box! They’re full of Australian themed things to do, instead things to “put somewhere”. All your recipient has to do is choose for themselves the experience they’d like to have. After all the lockdowns, for anyone keen to get out there and go for it, and for those fed up with the endless pressure to buy materialistic “stuff”, this is a match. Worried about whether you’ll have it in time to put under the tree? No problem – simply pick up a box of your choice at Coles or Woolies. There are over a hundred experiences to choose from. All the best gift ideas are in one box!
10. Give a Tree
Know someone who’s mad for the planet? A keen environmentalist or ardent sustainability warrior? What better gift for them than to give a tree. Suit your self as to whether it’s an actual tree, real-life plant or a tree certificate. One Tree Planted is an environmental charity that makes it easier for everyone to give back to the environment. It’s planting millions of trees across Australia to help our country recover from the Black Summer Bushfires earlier this year. Your donation will help to replenish forests and restore native habitats that are vital for our incredible wildlife. With a personalised tree certificate, your gift recipient will be able to track the impact your gifted trees are having on both the community and the environment.
Need More Best Gift Ideas?
Still haven’t found what you’re looking for? Check out another list of sugggestions we’ve made for you previously: Best Gift Ideas for the Festive Season. If you’re feeling a little anxious because you’ve left things a little late, most of these gifts are easily accessed on line and can be quickly downloaded and printed off!
________________
