You remember how, first they had a king, and then we had to have a king? And how they obsess over David Beckham, and then we obsess over David Beckham? And how they think Bean is funny, and so we--OK, anyway. Don't start driving on the left side just yet, but the US just got a little more British this spring with the introduction of The Baby Bunch.
If you'll recall, a while back, the British baby shower industry was turned on its head by the introduction of giant gift bouquets made of baby clothes rolled up to look like flowers. Well, now Bryony Boxer and Simon Martin, a pair of bib-rolling, supply chain optimization and Far East outsourcing consultants who relocated to New York from London, Qingdao, and Nanjing, are poised to alter the American showerscape forever.
These baby bouquets make the perfect gift, not because they manage to transform the boringly practical ["Gee, thanks, a bib. I temporarily forgot that for the first fifteen months, the kid's going to coat everything we own with drool."] into the momentarily euphoricbut ultimately utterly frivolous and useless [Basho wrote: "Gee, thanks. Dead flowers./With that fifty bucks, I could/pay my cable bill."]. But because they transform back after the party ends. Or as my wife put it, "You get huge points for the gesture and the practicality."
The only thing you have to worry about is the actual quality of the clothing. I haven't unrolled the tekka maki-sized t-shirt/flower The Baby Bunch's publicist sent me--I thought I'd surprise a new parent friend by insouciantly shoving it into the buttonhole of his lapel--but I can tell you, the seams look even and the fabric has a nice, smooth hand.
Looks good, and if you had a friend with a factory in Qingdao, I bet you could source the clothes for about $3/bunch, $4 with the greenery. But then you'd need someone to roll it, and arrange it, and--you get the picture. Besides, a 90% gross margin is another kind of beauty.
The Baby Bunch is $40 or $50, plus $15 s&h [thebabybunch.com]
"the British baby shower industry"........???
There is none. Brits give gifts, but the concept of a shower is still pretty alien to them. Just as the appeal of a bunch of towels and leaves is to me.