Paper Tiger

There's nothing quite like the anticipation of receiving – or giving – a beautifully wrapped gift. Of course, and as with so many things, it's what's on the inside that counts, but let's face it: appearances count and admiring a perfectly parceled present, personalized with some thoughtfully-penned gift tag is half the excitement, not to mention screaming of effort. It's an art, and one that's all too easily overlooked for the convenience of a bag, or worse still, nothing at all.

Step in Lucy Young, founder of Paper Tiger, a brand that prides itself on making gift-giving that little bit more special and a lot more stylish. "I've always had an eye for good paper, it's something I've always really loved – I can spend hours in the stationary store! [Starting Paper Tiger] was totally born out of a need and a frustration – I just couldn't find any good paper. I started thinking more about this niche – surely I wasn't the only person struggling to find well designed gift paper?"



It was a career in marketing for TV channel Nickelodeon that brought Young to Shanghai in 2005, husband and two young children in tow. Familiar with expat living, the family had previously lived in Singapore, although like so many other creative entrepreneurs before and since, it took a relocation to China to really get the ball rolling.

"When we got here, it was incredibly busy, very chaotic settling in, bringing our kids to a whole new environment but somehow I managed to find some headspace to start thinking about this paper business. When I think back to whether it's something I would have done in Singapore, honestly I don't think I would have".

"There was a real need for good paper, I just couldn't find any! I thought maybe I wasn't looking hard enough, not going to the right places and shops but when I started asking my friends I just kept getting the same feedback..."



Determined, Young took to sourcing paper, finding a scant selection of only passable patterns at commodities central, Yiwu city in Zhejiang province. "I went, I saw but I wasn't bowled over. It was frustrating - you know about 80% of the world's stationary is produced in China, but it's all for export. It wasn't until I left my job that I though 'that's it, I'm just going to do it myself!'"

Initially working with a local designer, Young set about the difficult process of making the highly graphic, colorful patterns she'd envisioned a reality. "I hadn't realized how hard that would be", she admits. "The designer was really patient, but I thought there's got to be an easier way – I realized I needed to teach myself Graphic Design".



Resolute, Young enrolled at Jiaotong University, practiced everything she'd been taught at home and soon uncovered a flair – and passion – for design. "I was really determined – looking at it as a viable business I needed to keep my costs low and examine the overheads. Hiring a good graphic designer isn't cheap, and in any case I didn't want to go cheap! So, I thought I'd see if I could do it myself and that's how it all happened".

Design skills are one thing, but inspiration is quite another. For Young, though, both Shanghai and Beijing continue to prove rich resources, with building façades, traditional hutongs and even iron work proffering a wealth of ideas for her beautifully patterned paper.



"A friend of mine lives in one of those old apartment buildings on Xiangyang and Fuxing that still had the most amazing stucco mouldings by the elevator – I love these hidden gems around Shanghai, they're often in the most inconspicuous places and very subtle but it's really exciting to still find them".

The appeal of Paper Tiger isn't only its cool and quirky take on traditional Chinese elements; it's also got pretty impressive green credentials too: 100% recycled, the double-sided papers use only natural soy-based ink. "The first batch I did wasn't recycled", Young recalls. "It was only seeing the finished product there at the printers that finally made me realize just how much paper it really is – so much! I started to feel very guilty about it and told myself that if I was going to continue with this I needed to be more responsible".



The results are beautiful, unique and designed with a palpable passion for China. With a quality and durability that set Young's papers apart, their strong graphic patterns could well match any number of creative projects, as testified by a recent collaboration with Beijing-based milliner Elisabeth Koch. Look out for Paper Tiger's new line of character-inspired gift cards, due to to launch in time for this Spring's Eco Design Fair, and for the brand's full collection, pay a visit to Madame Mao's Dowry on Fumin Lu or the website here.