The semi-annual Winter Edition of the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF) is around the corner, and features a few sections that design enthusiasts won’t want to miss including the A+: The Young Designers, the Emerging Designer Maker, and SustainAbility: Design for a Better World.

Souda's Kreten Side Table

A+: The Young Designers’ platform introduces the work of emerging designers who have been selected on the basis of design concept, creativity and originality. It provides emerging designers an affordable opportunity to expose their concepts, prototypes and finished products to the wholesale marketplace. A+ participants were chosen by designers, retailers and industry advisors on the Accent on Design Selection committee as well as by Paul Rowan of Umbra.

The participants and their new product introductions are:

Design on Shell (Springfield, PA) with Shirrley, an expandable, multi-function tote bag made out of a piece of mesh fabric and a single strand of string, which stretches to 40 x 60 cm when fully open, and collapses into a stylish shirred handbag, designed by Yuree S. Hwang.

Souda (New York City) with the Kreten Side Table, Mitre Stool, Bubble Chandelier and Kawa Series of porcelain vases and vessels. Founded in the summer of 2012 by three recent Parsons School of Design graduates; Isaac Friedman-Heiman, Shaun Kasperbauer and Luft Tanaka, Souda designs and manufactures furniture, lighting, and home decor, utilizing a process-driven approach to create objects with character.

The Emerging Designer Maker platform introduces the work of emerging craft designers and makers who have been in business for one year or less. They are selected on the basis of design concept, creativity and originality.

Kitchen lamp by Vanessa Chew

Winter 2013 Emerging Designer Maker Platform participants, and their new product introductions, are:

Vanessa Chew Designs (Brooklyn, NY) with ROOTS Wooden Jewelry collection (Bib Necklace, Pendant Necklace and Threader Earrings). A graduate of the master’s degree program in industrial design at the Pratt Institute in New York City, Chew focuses her designs on minimizing waste and utilizing materials to create a lower environmental impact. To create her jewelry collection, Chew re-purposes wood off-cuts, carefully sanding and oiling each by hand to emphasize the wood’s natural beauty and unique features.

Clementine Porcelain (Omaha, NE) with design-driven and functional cast porcelain. Designers and teachers Jesse Ross and Tracy Shell offer both custom and production pieces, including vases, bowls, cups and other vessels. With a mission of service, the company donates a percentage of profits to The Backpack Program for hunger relief, administered by the Food Bank of the Heartland.

Nicole Porter's Modern Neon Hardwood Plate

Nicole Porter (Astoria, NY) with a Modern Neon Hardwood line of homewares made from high-quality beech wood. Porter both designs and produces eco-friendly homewares in textiles, ceramics and wood. Starting with familiar design elements updated for today, Porter uses color liberally in her designs, and sources materials from American manufacturers. Her influences include Scandinavian and mid-century modern design.

Wendy Robbins (Bergenfield, NJ) with the Tin Ceiling collection including vests for men and women, women’s cropped jean jacket and women’s fitted jean blazer. Robbins designs one-of-a-kind women’s clothing for small boutiques in NYC and various indie venues. In September 2012, she created the Tin Ceiling Collection, incorporating her love for old world architecture and design and her love of unusual textiles. She recreates tin ceiling patterns on clothing with dimensional textile paint, and finishes them to look like real antique brass, silver and copper.

The SustainAbility display is curated by Ilene Shaw of Shaw + Co! Productions, and will feature some 100 products from 75 NYIGF exhibitors approved for participation. Products and companies were selected from hundreds of applicants, based upon established criteria, including the use of eco-friendly products and production processes, as well as socially responsible, philanthropic or fair-trade oriented business practices.

Cake Vintage's Placemat Pad

Among them are: driftwood wall hooks by Areaware crafted from wood salvaged from New York State beaches; the “Archival Perfect Settings” placemat pads by Cake Vintage Table & Home with 50 tear-off sheets made of 100% recycled kraft paper and soy based inks; the Eco Teether by Greenpoint Brands made from biodegradable, plant-based resin; “Dawn Redwood Tree-to-Be” growing kit made of recycled materials by Potting Shed Creations, Ltd.; and macramé bowls by Shiraleah which are handmade in India of jute and recycled metal wire.

Newcomers to the winter 2013 edition of At Home featuring Home Textiles include April Cornell (bedding, table linens, home accessories); Bonjour of Switzerland (bedding); Eric & Christopher (pillows); Manito Linens (bedding and loungewear); Tabula Rasa (throws); and Tulu Textiles (bedding, pillows, accessories). Additionally, three companies are relocating into At Home featuring Home Textiles from other NYIGF divisions: Lili Alessandra (bedding, pillows, table linens); Maine Woolens (blankets, throws, baby blankets); and Pomegranate Inc. (table linens, kitchen accessories) – and six companies are returning following a hiatus from the New York Market – Darzzi International (throws, cushions, pillows, baby); European Art Design (table linens); Haute Home (bedding, pillows, towels), John Mahoney Designs Inc. (pillows, travel accessories); Nameeks (bath accessories); and Turkish-T (bath towels, beach towels, resort).

Beyond exhibits, the NYIGF also will offer several events and seminars for all attendees.

On Saturday, January 26, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., Home Accents Today senior product editor Tracy Bulla presents “Fashion Forward – How Apparel Trends Impact Home Design.” The presentation, co-hosted by ART (Accessories Resource Team) will showcase current and future home fashion trends and will forecast what the best-dressed homes will be “wearing” next season.

Also, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., the NYIGF will host an At Home welcome reception at Pier 94 to celebrate the market’s opening day. During this event, ASID’s NY Metro Chapter will bestow its “Best of the Best NYIGF Winter 2013 Awards” to select At Home exhibitors in seven categories – Imaginative Product Presentation; Innovative Product Design; Social Responsibility / Ecological Sensitivity; Lighting; Accessories; Textiles; and Wall Art.

New York’s Chapter of the International Furnishings & Design Association (IFDA) will sponsor “Color Pulse 2014: From Theory to Selection,” on Monday, January 28, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. Topics include directional colors and emerging trend information which is influencing the future of design. John Turner of Benjamin Moore will present the company’s influential color forecast – Color Pulse®2014: Facets.

A complete list of seminar information and registration is available online here.

Running concurrently with NYIGF is Home Textiles Market Week and Artisan Resource, at the various NYIGF locations. “All four market venues work together to offer retailers seamless access to hundreds of new and returning suppliers,” said Christian Falkenberg, NYIGF director and GLM vice president. “Educational seminars, industry events and buyer promotions are additional market-friendly components of this busy week.”

Nearly 400 companies representing 43 countries around the world will participate in the winter edition of the NYIGF, which runs Jan. 26-30, 2013, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Passenger Ship Terminal’s Piers 92 & 94. For more information on any of the above, visit the website.