"Products that are out of step with trends don’t stand a chance," twelveNYC

Premium Beauty News - You opened the twelveNYC office in Paris just over a year ago. How are you doing today?

Alexandra Joneaux - The Parisian team is rapidly growing, soon to welcome our fourth hire. Our unique scope of capabilities, spanning innovation, creativity and sustainability, appeals to brands across the luxury, beauty, and spirits categories alike. Woman-founded and led since 2005, twelveNYC provide brands with promotional branded merchandise, gifts with purchase and packaging solutions. Through our passionate global teams across New York, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, London and Paris, twelveNYC operates at the crossroads of innovation and storytelling.

Premium Beauty News - How does the twelveNYC offer stand out?

Alexandra Joneaux - Our clients are seeking innovative and sustainable product and packaging, at a multitude of volumes and quality. We are led by innovation, with a team of over 20 experts dedicated to researching materials and eco-friendly designed solutions. We take a proactive approach, not simply reacting to customer requests. We approach every project through the lens of true partnership, and work to deliver concepts tailored to their solve pain points, showcase their unique brand identity and connect with their community.

We closely monitor the evolution of trends within each category (such as travel, hair accessories, durability) as well as consumer trends (like TikTok, metaverse, and more). In 2022, 90% of all twelveNYC-designed retail programmes and 60% of beauty programmes are directly generated from trend-led presentations.

Our job doesn't stop when the product has been delivered, our job is to ensure brands stand out through every tangible interaction that their consumer's engage with. Products that are out of step with current market trends - or consumer expectations - don't stand a chance on the market.

Premium Beauty News - And what about sustainability?

Alexandra Joneaux - Sustainability is at the forefront of what we do and is acknowledged by our EcoVadis Gold and B Corp certifications.

Our in-house CSR Director and Head of Sustainability works in tandem with our global teams to review all our processes, ensuring that every product we offer meets the key requirements in this area. We are constantly in search for new sustainable materials which we can bring to life for our clients.

During our recent showing at Paris Packaging Week, we gifted attendees a custom ‘PARIS’ zippered pouch, designed with a woven material containing 100% recycled plastic waste and coated with water-based acrylic. For every 1sq meter of material, over 5 plastic bottles are removed from the ocean. To replace plastic polybags, we have also launched PVA-based protective bags, which are water-soluble and fully biodegradable, with no microplastic residues. We have also recently introduced dissolvable materials in packing solutions, such as compostable packing peanuts (which are non-toxic and plant based and dissolves in water).

Premium Beauty News - As far as production is concerned, capacity is an important issue but agility is also a growing demand from the market!

Alexandra Joneaux - That's right, today we have brands that need programs dreamed, designed, developed, and delivered in less than two months! Internalizing the entire design process gives us tremendous agility. Our global production capabilities in Europe and North America allow us to ensure nearshoring benefits to our customers. Currently, 35% of our production is achieved in North America. We are constantly expanding our supplier base, aiming to reach 12% of production based in Europe by end of 2023. As Asia remains a necessary destination for all labour-intensive products, we are therefore seeking to diversify and develop our global supply chain in Southeast Asia, particularly in Cambodia and Vietnam.

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