Practical Gifts for Travellers and Colleagues That Still Feel Special

The gifts people use most are rarely the most exciting ones on paper. A pouch that keeps chargers in order, a sleeve that protects a laptop, a notebook that lives on the desk: these get picked up every day for years. The trick is finding practical gifts that still feel special when they are unwrapped.

Our functional bags, pouches and stationery are some of our best-selling Christmas pieces for exactly that reason. Each one is made by hand from a pre-loved sari, so it is useful and one of a kind at the same time. Here is how to choose them for travellers, colleagues and anyone who works from home.

Gifts for travellers

Quilted pouches are the traveller's best friend: padded, lined and closed with a zip, ideal for toiletries, cables, chargers or small accessories. Our quilted utility pouches come in three sizes and start at around €18, and the zipper pouch set of three (around €50) means everything has its place.

The vanity pouch set (around €41) pairs a small and a medium pouch with a curved top and quilted finish, made for the bathroom bag. The quilted sunglasses case (around €9) has a soft padded body and a magnetic flap, which makes it one of our most useful small gifts.

Gifts for colleagues and Secret Santa at work

Office gifts need to be friendly, useful and easy on the budget. Our hard cover notebooks (A6 at around €9, A5 at around €11) have covers made from sari fabric and pages of 100% recycled paper, so no two look the same on the meeting table. A quilted pencil pouch (around €15) or a bookmark set (around €11) are small, practical and personal.

For a team gift, a set of 10 folded postcards made from recycled paper and sari scraps (around €23) lets everyone write their own thank-you notes.

Gifts for remote workers and students

A quilted laptop sleeve is one of the most useful things you can give someone who works on the move. Ours have chevron quilted panels, a contrasting interior and a secure zip, and come in two sizes: 13 to 14 inch (also fits iPads) and 15 to 16 inch, both at around €30 to €31. It is the kind of gift that gets used every day and makes a plain laptop look like theirs.

Put together a practical gift set

The commuter: a laptop sleeve, an A5 notebook and a pencil pouch.

The frequent flyer: a vanity pouch set, a sunglasses case and a utility pouch for cables.

The colleague you sit next to: an A6 notebook and a bookmark set, under €25 together.

If you are shopping for a bag rather than an accessory, our guide to everyday bags for work and travel will help.

Who made your gift

Every piece is cut, stitched and finished by hand by a woman artisan in our Mumbai workshop. More than 900 women have worked with us since we started, many of them in their first paid job. I was a Sari is a certified B Corporation and a member of the World Fair Trade Organization, so the story behind the gift is checked, not just told. You can meet the people and the process here.

Order in time for Christmas

Every order leaves our workshop in India within 1 to 2 business days, tracked from the moment it ships. For delivery to Europe, the UK and the US before Christmas, order by 8 December with Express shipping (4 to 5 business days after dispatch) or by 24 November with Eco shipping (10 to 12 business days). EU orders have VAT and duties collected at checkout, US prices include all duties and taxes, and UK orders pay nothing extra on delivery. Sending it straight to them? Just enter their name and address as the shipping address at checkout. Everything else is in our Christmas gift guide.

Frequently asked questions

What are good gifts for travellers?

Quilted pouches for toiletries and cables, a vanity pouch set, a padded sunglasses case or a laptop sleeve. They are light, useful on every trip and, when made from a pre-loved sari, one of a kind.

What is a good small gift for a colleague?

A hard cover notebook with a sari cover and recycled paper, a quilted pencil pouch or a bookmark set. All are under €16 and get used every day.

What sizes are the laptop sleeves?

Our quilted laptop sleeves come in two sizes: 13 to 14 inch, which also fits iPads, and 15 to 16 inch.

Are the notebooks made from recycled paper?

Yes. Our A5 and A6 hard cover notebooks use 100% recycled paper, with covers made from pre-loved sari fabric.

When should I order for Christmas?

Order by 8 December with Express shipping, or by 24 November with Eco shipping, for delivery to Europe, the UK and the US before Christmas.

Practical does not have to mean plain. When the pouch, the sleeve or the notebook was once a sari, everyday things get a story of their own.

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