17 BRAND SPANKING NEW KAWECO After many years of development, Kaweco has perfected their iconic Sport model as a piston filler. It’s available to pre-order from retailers now. Since 1883, there have been various systems for filling a fountain pen. Today, ink cartridges are a widespread and popular filling method, but in the past fountain pens were mainly filled using ink bottles. Beside lever fountain pens and eyedroppers, the piston mechanism has been the most important and reliable filling system. In 1937, the Kaweco Sport Fountain Pen was first presented as a piston filler under the name #612, and it has been further developed in many different versions over the years. Thanks to its clever compact mechanism, the Kaweco Sport Piston Filler holds an impressive (approx. 1ml) amount of ink. Piston fillers allow for an infinite choice of inks, as many inks are only sold in bottles, not as cartridges. The pen can be refilled quickly and easily with the smooth-running refill mechanism. A transparent ink window allows you to monitor the ink level at all times. www.studiopens.com CHESHIRE & WAIN Cheshire & Wain’s colourful collection pays homage to the work of eccentric British artist Louis Wain, which often depicted cats with vibrant floral backdrops. Brought to life on screen by Benedict Cumberbatch in The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021), Wain captivated hearts with his widely popular anthropomorphic cats, elevating their status from vermin and occasional mousers to the pets we love today. Since 2013, Cheshire & Wain has somewhat followed in its part-namesake’s footsteps to ensure every cat can live their best nine lives. And with the exclusive Louis Wain leather cat collars, both indoor or outdoor cats can launch into Spring looking fine, dandy and colourful in their preferred hue of Electric Blue, Chartreuse Green, Purrsimmon Orange or Pastel Mint. Made from the finest Italian leather with a matte rubberised surface, each collar has a contrasting soft suede lining for comfort, with an optional bell. Handcrafted with love in England, the collars (£55) feature Cheshire & Wain’s signature breakaway safety catch and optional personalisation. They arrive beautifully presented in a special edition Louis Wain gift box. High society kitties can choose to elevate their colourful collar further for soirees, outdoor strolls and other engagements with a matching or contrasting Gem Collar Charm (£16). Set in sterling silver, gems include Blood Orange, Aquamarine, Chartreuse and Pink Sapphire. Cat lovers can also add the joy of flowers (and cats!) to their home in Louis Wain’s technicolour style with a choice of two Art Prints – A Cat With Her Kittens and Flower Cat, which fuse Wain’s famous wide-eyed pussycats with the themes of his lesser- known work featuring flowers and landscapes. Available in A4 and A3, the imagery is specially licensed to Cheshire & Wain, with each limited-edition print produced on museum-quality heavyweight Hahnemü hle paper by a fine art printer in London. Priced from £45. www.cheshireandwain.com PRIMEUR Home and garden specialist, Primeur, has launched a new collection of doormats produced under license from Bree Merryn, one of Britain’s most popular wildlife artists. The collection of 18 individual doormat designs made its debut at Spring Fair, where Primeur exhibited for the first time this year. Bree was on Primeur’s stand in Hall 8 to help promote the new collection and catch up with her friends and colleagues in the home and gift industry. With many retailers already stocking Bree’s distinctive wall art and incredibly successful licensed gift collections, the doormats help to create a seamless look throughout the home, from the moment you set foot inside. Bree commented: “I am absolutely thrilled to be working with Primeur. I’ve known them for a long time – almost 30 years now – and they’re such lovely people and a joy to work with. It’s also lovely to be here at the forefront of the launch at Spring Fair and the response has been fantastic. There’s nothing like this in the market and people have loved it. The designs make you smile when you come to the door!” T: +44 (0)1274 518 800 www.primeur.co.uk BASKETBASKET New for 2024, this Circle Crochet Raffia Bag from BasketBasket was hand crocheted with sustainable raffia in Madagascar. Five circles in beige or black on one side, plus a colour rim and woven raffia handles. Perfect for holidays, this lightweight bag will pack up easily and carry all you need too. Or they would look great for storage in the home. Matching natural crochet hats also available. www.basketbasket.co.uk
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