Gifts for 2018 festivities : locally made and affordable gift ideas

You very often run out of ideas when it comes to offer gifts to your family and friends during this festive period, don’t you? You may also feel tired of looking around and finding nothing interesting and affordable. News on Sunday brings to you locally made gifts that are great for presents, at reasonable prices, and that will definitely please your entourage. 

Like every end-of-year period, most of us struggle to find the preferred gifts for our loved ones and friends. Whether you are looking for a sentimental gift, something that would be useful, practical or just a small gift but which is symbolic and full of meaning, we have your back. We have combined for you some of the trendiest locally-made items which are not simply charming but also affordable. They will definitely warm the hearts of your family and friends for these end-of-year festivities. 

Colour Soap: Scented goodies

Colour Soap proposes trendy scented soaps as gifts for this end-of-year. The soaps will definitely make perfect gifts to family and friends who are fond of delightful scents and who like to feel fresh, revived and in a good mood after a shower. “On top of the very trendy and fun packaging, we pay specific attention to the colours and perfumes to create a unique experience. It’s a fun and useful gift. Bar soaps are better for the skin than classic the shower gel; they will also make your bathroom smell nice. Our soap could be offered to anyone, we have designs and scents for all the different tastes,” explains Freddy and Sheena, founders of Colour Soap. How much do they cost? Each soap costs Rs 300 and deliveries are made for free anywhere in Mauritius.

Save a Sail: Eco-friendly bags

Save a Sail manufactures all kinds of organic and authentic bags and accessories made from recycled sails. They transform old and unusable boat and kite sails into unique handmade creations. If you are looking for great eco-friendly and summer gifts, they have what you need: sunglasses sleeves, small pouches for telephone and keys, medium or large pouches, kids’ backpacks and sports bags, and of course, beach and travel bags for women and men. They also have some decoration items like toys and laundry bags, or deck chairs. Prices go from Rs 300 to Rs 2,700 approximately.

Le P’tit Atelier: Handmade bracelets

Le P’tit Atelier Mauritius offers a wide range of gift ideas for women, men and kids. If you love 100% handmade gifts, you will definitely find what you are looking for this end-of-year festivities at Le P’tit Atelier Mauritius.

Stainless steel bracelets and necklaces inspired by the sea and the tropical lifestyle, the bracelet Coquille Bonheur covered with glitter, among others, are what you can give as presents to your loved ones for a twinkling Christmas and New Year holidays. These are available as from Rs 400. “When you buy from a small business, an actual person does a little ‘Happy dance’,” utters Camille Coquet-Diesel, founder of Le P’tit Atelier.

Kotpiale: Mauritius inspired collections

At Kotpiale, you will find locally made gifts that will add not only a touch of creativity but also Mauritian style to your friends’ and family’s wardrobe. “A gift is created and designed for anybody with a Mauritian heart,” says Karuna, founder of Kotpiale.

For this end-of-year, you will find several collections namely the Kotpiale Kitchen collection, “Derye Foye” Collection, the crochet collection, “Lor La Route” Collection and Summer 2018/2019 Collection, which is coming very soon. If you have nieces and nephews, you can have a look at the Exclusive Kids Collection also. Price ranges from Rs 100 to Rs 600 for the Kitchen collection, depending on the package chosen. For the All Over prints Tshirt and Shirts, the price ranges from Rs 500 to Rs 900, depending on the products itself. 

L’Atelier Galimard: 
Create your perfume

The cosmetics shop, found at Pointe aux Canonniers, proposes perfumes, fragrances, cologne, room fragrances, among others. For this end-of-year, the L’Atelier Galimard is offering to its customers a gift voucher allowing his/her family to participate in a workshop to create his/her own perfume, which includes a 50 ml bottle of perfume in a pouch. For children as from 8-years-old, they can participate in a 30-minute workshop at the price of Rs 900, which includes a bottle of perfume at 10 ml. The shop is also offering team building activities for companies for this end-of- year, which includes a 2-hour session with the creation of several personalized group perfumes as from Rs 1,400 per person. You will also find great gift ideas such as perfumes, cosmetics, home fragrances, and candles as from Rs 350. 

AQUA Swimwear: Trendy swimwear

What more ideal gift can you offer this summer than trendy and comfortable swimwear? At AQUA Swimwear Mauritius, you will find swimwear for men & kids. AQUA is a 100% Mauritian brand designed and manufactured locally. The men and kids swimwear are available in a wide variety of colours/designs and father and sons matching swimwears are also available. The new men product this year is the linen/cotton shirts available in more than 10 colours. You can also have a look at the newly launched collection named AQUA SAVE with special design this year - turtles, bees, ladybug and urchin. “Our aim is to sensitise people about these insects/animals aims in our ecosystem; we donate 3% to the Mauritius Marine Conservation Society or the Wildlife,” explains Lisa De Robillard, Manager at AQUA Swimwear. Among other gift ideas - caps, women beach dresses, sarong, and new women bikinis made from regenerated nylon fabrics. Price range is as from Rs 500 caps to Rs 920 for a beach dress, between Rs 1,495 to Rs 1,840 for men swimwear, Rs 1,150 for kids and between Rs 2,300 to Rs 2,800 for women items.

Mauricette: Shirts

At Mauricette, you will find original comfy T-Shirts with known funny expressions. The brand new T-Shirts collection for men, women and children with Kreol expressions such as ‘Ayo’ and humorous expressions like ‘To beach or not to beach’ and many others will definitely make a great gift for this end-of-year summer holidays and festivities. They will add a touch of local vibe to the festivities. The T-Shirts are produced in limited series and they use 100% recyclable packaging. They are available as from Rs 400 (baby) to Rs 800 (adults).

Dilo Coco: Exotic boho style clutches

If you are looking for a cute exotic boho style gift that will win the heart of the women in your life, the handmade clutches at Dilo Coco will definitely be the ideal gift. Made of crochet, the clutches are decorated with shells, organic seed, beads and tassels. “They are inspired by the beauty and nature of Mauritius. Dilo Coco is for any woman,” says Yolaine, founder of Dilo Coco. If you are looking for an original design, you can opt for the rainbow clutch. Small gifts like key chains, made of shells, beads and tassels will also please your loved ones. Prices for the clutches start at Rs 900 and the key chains are as from Rs 450.

Cheeky Owl: Customized gifts

All the products you will find at Cheeky Owl are individually handmade by the entrepreneur herself. Among the original funky and affordable gifts, you will find bags, pouches and clutches for adults and kids. You will find simple basic ones through boxie pouches to more detailed ones. For kids you can find pencil cases, little Christmas reusable gift bags, which are hassle free gift wrapping, where you can stuff all small gifts inside or little Christmas ruched bags to put accessories, make up, or jewelleries. It should be noted that there are different designs relevant to different age groups; for instance, for kids you can find cupcake or rabbit pencil case or it can be a unicorn or peppa pig pouch. The price ranges of the gifts start from Rs 100 to Rs 750. Gifts can also be customized.