For those that have never been to the National Stationery Show before, I can only describe it as a feast for your eyes. You walk each aisle surrounded by a cavalcade of colours and designs that will set the trends for what you will see in the stores this year. In a nutshell, it’s paper and ink bacchanalia.
We had a late start on the first day, so we were thankful to stop by a few vendors and get some leads before our feet gave out on us. In a sea of paper, we had our hooks out for some truly unique products of the show. Some of our standouts:
Old School Stationers
Old School Stationers make no bones about it, they are old school. Their charming designs are all hand-drawn by owner Brian Reed and produced on textured Canaletto cotton paper from Italy. I was smitten by their “Camping Circa 1960s” and “Bird is the Word” collections.
Kamal
Tucked away in a back corner of the show floor sat Kamal – Art on Paper. Because of my late start and time crunch, I almost did not make it down that particular aisle. But I am so glad that I did, otherwise I would have missed such a gem of an artist. Borrowing a line from the legendary 80′s icon Johnny Castle, “Nobody should put Kamal Patel in the corner.”
Kamal pits her artwork against a black backdrop, highlighting the refined simplicity of her designs. All her cards and coasters are letterpress printed. I am really suprised I had not heard of Kamal in the letterpress community sooner. Her products could easily be featured in any high end restaurant, hotel or luxury spa in Los Angeles or New York City. My personal fav is her lotus design out of her Botanical Collection.
