African-inspired stationery, greeting card and gift brand Afrotouch Design has made history after teaming up with retail giant Waterstones. Mum-of-three Georgina Fihosy, will become the first black-owned greeting cards publisher to be stocked by a major bookshop chain when stores begin selling nine of its best-selling greeting card designs at the end of July. All the cards are individually hand-finished with African print fabric which makes them a unique addition to the greeting cards on offer
Georgina launched her business in 2015 and is a vocal force behind the campaign to urge mainstream greeting card shops to stock more products aimed at people of colour. It was an article on industry website PG Buzz about that very topic that brought Afrotouch Design to the attention of Waterstones.
Senior Buyer Hazel Walker approached Georgina to enquire about Afrotouch Design’s cards and, after reviewing the firm’s best-selling designs, agreed a deal to stock them at 12 Waterstones outlets across London.
Shoppers looking for African-inspired greeting cards will be able to snap up Afrotouch Design’s products at the book seller’s flagship shop on Piccadilly, in Foyles on Charing Cross Road and at Waterstones branches in Sutton, Kingston Bentalls, Kensington, Clapham, Greenwich, Victoria, Crouch End, Ealing Broadway, Wandsworth and Ilford.
Georgina said: “I am delighted that my African-inspired greeting cards will be stocked in some of the biggest book shops in the country. This is a real step in the right direction when it comes to the representation of the black community in the industry.
Thirteen percent of the UK population identifies as black and yet it is impossible to find cards specifically designed for people of colour in mainstream shops.”
“As well as allowing them to offer a more diverse shopping experience to their customers, Waterstones also said how much they like the handmade finish of the cards, something that is particularly on-trend and which will really stand out on their shelves.”
