We wish you all a very Happy Valentine’s Day on February 14th! Whatever your plans, now is the perfect time to buy a Valentine’s Day gift for your loved one.
To make your gift that extra bit special could you make it by hand at home? It always feels more special to receive a unique handmade gift due to the love and thought that’s gone into making it from scratch. It also feels special when you receive a gift that no one else owns.
Continue reading this blog for ethical and sustainable gift ideas that help to support small and local businesses.
There are many reasons why bespoke and personalised gifts are more special. They show your loved one that you care and each handmade gift is one of a kind. Your loved one is more likely to enjoy receiving a handmade gift especially if it’s been custom-made.
There are lots of fantastic local and small businesses that you can support when purchasing a Valentine’s Day gift. Small businesses appreciate every purchase compared to large retailers like Amazon, for example. They help to sustain vibrant town centres and often get involved and contribute to local causes. By shopping locally, you’re also helping to reduce carbon emissions.
Fashion accessories are stylish gifts that can be easily worn with pieces from an existing wardrobe. If they are ethically and sustainably handmade then they also have a good story to tell and will be more interesting and appealing.
For women, consider gorgeous jewellery pieces, fashionable bags, knitted hats, scarves and gloves and gorgeous hair accessories including headwraps and hairbands. For men, there are lots of different accessories that you can purchase as a gift including socks, belts, suspenders, cuff links, neckties, bow ties, pocket squares and handkerchiefs.
African print bow ties by Kitenge
Have you ever considered ordering made to measure clothes online for a loved one? They are the ultimate bespoke gift as you can customise and personalise the different design features. Made to measure garments are lovingly handcrafted to fit your loved one perfectly so there won’t be any disappointment when they are tried on for the first time.
Could you purchase a bespoke item of clothing that could be worn for a special ‘date night’ outfit to celebrate Valentine’s Day? Tailor made shirts are great gifts that can easily be worn to a special dinner as well as many other occasions as they are versatile and durable.
Custom-made African print shirts for men by Kitenge
You could measure a shirt that fits your partner well at home without them even knowing for a surprise or involve them in the order process so they can choose their preferred fabric and design elements such as the collar, cuff, placket and pocket style.
For a female partner, you could order a pair of comfortable bespoke trousers in their preferred length, a stylish dress or a trendy pencil skirt. If you’re planning to go on a romantic holiday soon could you purchase a gift that your partner could wear during the trip such as a pair of shorts?
If you’re a creative, why not make something extra special yourself? Personalised gifts are that extra bit special and they don’t take long to make saving you time and money. Browse our African print fabric shop if you’re looking for material inspiration to help get you started.
Handmade gifts can not only be made quickly but they’re also really effective and a lot more special than shop-bought gifts. It shows that you have gone out of your way to put more thought and effort into a loving gift that has more meaning and sentimental value, which is priceless.
You’ll also have fun making a creative gift with your hands. It will relieve any stress you may be feeling as you won’t need to go shopping to find the perfect gift. Do you have a love for drawing, painting, knitting, sewing or even woodwork?
Making a handmade gift can help save you money too. Do you have any leftover materials at home such as yarn or fabric offcuts that you could use? Nothing beats the reaction of a loved one opening a treasured handmade gift, which makes the creative effort all worth it.
There are lots of great handmade fabric gift ideas for Valentine’s Day including:
If you’re looking for more handmade gift inspiration then you could search Pinterest for ideas. YouTube is a really helpful resource with lots of ‘how to’ videos with step-by-step instructions that you can follow. Explore our blog for more DIY traditional fabric gift ideas that you could make at home for beginners and experienced sewers.
You could even make your own Valentine’s Day card using red coloured or brown craft card and leftover fabric offcuts or fat quarters too!
While you’re here, why not browse Kitenge’s colourful African boutique online and our range of unique handmade ethical gifts that your loved one will love and cherish for years to come!
When you give a gift that is lovingly handmade by Kitenge’s team of talented Tanzanian tailors, you can share the ethical story behind our authentic products and how their gift has helped to empower the artisan that made it.
Your loved one can learn more about the tailor that made their gift by hand. We always try to share photos of Kitenge’s tailors making our mtm clothing and fabric accessories with our valued customers.
Kitenge’s master tailor, Abdallah, making colourful African shirts by hand
Shopping with small, ethical and sustainable clothing brands improves the livelihoods of the people who make the garments and reduces the negative impact on the environment. It’s an inspiring experience that makes you feel good as your purchase will directly benefit the garment workers that are treated with respect and dignity, are paid fairly and work in a safe environment.
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