An Outlaw is born...
There's a lot of stuff in the world now. And a lot of noise. And still not enough representation for some communities (LGBTQ+ and neurodiverse, we see you) when it comes to the non-digital stuff that we buy and gift. And while we're on our high horse (as any good outlaw should be), we feel that gifts aren't the same as 'things'.
Lots of different factors transform something from a 'thing' to a gift: best-in-class, presentation, the way little things are put together in cute sets. Most of all, we think they should be made to last. Our trad values and real-world products make us a little bit Analogue. Our trend-challenging nature (spoiler: sometimes the trends win) makes us a little bit Outlaw.
A great gift reflects what your people value - and that's probably complex. So when it comes to showing the people you love that you see them in all their many-layered glory, binary thinking will only get you so far.
Our curation aims to lighten the mood, represent a diverse range of lifestyles and preferences and features products that are the highest quality, most sustainably produced version of their kind (just like our customers). It's substantial, inclusive and, sometimes, just a little bit subversive.
Show your people that you see them. Shop our limited collection of exceptional quality, sustainably produced gifts and avoid the overwhelm.
The mother of the Outlaw
My first proper career-type job was as an admin assistant in a design agency. That first Christmas, I was tasked with buying presents for everyone. I had an afternoon and 100 dinars (it wasn't in the UK). It went well and I absolutely loved it - there's something about thinking about who a person is and trying to tap in to what things are going to light them up that gives me a dopamine hit to rival any substance or experience. It didn't occur to me then that I might be able to make it my actual job, but I never forgot how much fun it was.
I'm not usually one to want to identify myself by my sexual preferences, but that is what started me thinking about this endeavour in particular. What goes on between a person's ears has always been the lead attraction for me, I count myself lucky on that front (so many choices) but also, so much prejudice. I was married to a man for a long time and my new partner is a woman. In the excitement of the early days I was consumed with finding the perfect gifts to demonstrate how well I got her, how romantic I could be etc etc. Sometimes I wanted things that nodded towards our homosexuality and by that I don't exclusively mean rainbow-coloured. I consider myself a very experienced and knowledgeable shopper, but was frustrated time and again by the lack of LGBTQ+-specific choice outside of the custom market - and sometimes I had custom makers cancel my order. They never explained why, but...
The thing that has always frustrated me about online shopping is that I can never be sure that the quality of what I'm buying is good enough. I've never valued mass-produced goods that rely on the cheapest possible components, ingredients or parts, to be profitable. We all need to make a living, but does it have to be at the expense of people and the planet? I think a little less focus on making the ultimate best most money you can and a little more on what is life-enriching is really the best gift of all. And I love beautiful things, especially art. These are the values and experiences that prompted me to create this little shop. I hope you like it and if you'd like to talk I'd love to hear from you.