Rex London’s year in review: the best of 2019
2019 saw lots of exciting goings on at Rex London HQ, from winning a prestigious Queen’s Award, to introducing six brand new designs to the Rex London family. Here’s our year in review, plus a quick sneak peek at what’s in store for 2020.
Bestsellers of 2019
We produce hundreds of new products every year that sit alongside some of our most popular classics. In no particular order, these are just some of your favourite items from the last 12 months.
Folk Doves jumbo storage bag
No bestseller list is complete without one of our iconic jumbo bags, and this year you were loving this pretty Folk Doves design. Made from recycled plastic material, these bags are as strong as they are stylish, and have multiple uses around the home, garden, and beyond.
Folk Doves jumbo bag, £4.95
Magical Unicorn temporary tattoos
These cute temporary tattoos made it on to our bestseller list last year, and have proved to be a magical hit once again in 2019!
Magical Unicorn temporary tattoos, £1.50
Colourful Creatures lunch bag
Another bag with eco-friendly credentials makes it onto our list of favourites for 2019. Made from recycled plastics, this insulated lunch bag features our ever-popular gang of Colourful Creatures.
Colourful Creatures lunch bag, £3.95
Nordic Christmas tissue paper
Though a late entry this year, our Nordic Christmas tissue paper still makes the bestseller list thanks to its versatility. Not only is it pretty, it can be used as either wrapping paper or padding to add a festive touch to your gift boxes.
Nordic Christmas tissue paper (10 sheets), £1.95
New designs
Six brand new designs were introduced to the Rex London collection in 2019.
Sydney the Sloth
One of the sweetest new characters to join the Rex London family, Sydney the Sloth now adorns lots of our most popular items, from lunchware and shopping bags to stationery and accessories.
View the full Sydney the Sloth collection
Space Age
Inspired by the classic era of space flight and exploration, our new Space Age design attempts to celebrate the wonder of science in a range of items with children of all ages in mind, including rocket 3D puzzles, Make Your Own Space Mission Vehicle sets and rocket pens.
View the full Space Age collection
Best in Show
Now your four-legged furry friends can be by your side every day with our new Best in Show design, which are featured on our most popular products like jumbo bags, water bottles, lunch boxes and more!
View the full Best in Show collection
Chester the Cat
If you’d prefer to be with a feline friend, we’ve also got you covered. Our adorable new Chester the Cat print is also featured on mugs, washi tape, notebooks and make your own cat treats.
View the full Chester the Cat collection
Love Birds
Rex London’s original lineup of retro-inspired designs got even more stylish this year with the addition of Love Birds. The gorgeous print adorns many of our accessories and homeware, including food tins and weekend bags – a great way to brighten up your home this winter.
View the full Love Birds collection
Nordic Christmas
Nordic Christmas is the newest addition to our roster of festive designs and appears on an array of products, including baking essentials like cake and mince pie tins. “I am always inspired by nature, the seasons, and the clean lines in Scandinavian design, so I tried to feed all these elements into this design,” says in-house designer Nadia, who masterminded this beautiful print.
View the full Nordic Christmas collection
Upping the eco game
This year we established our green initiative, and have made a concerted effort to widen our range of eco-friendly products. As well as continuing to add to our collections of bags made from recycled plastics (that includes our jumbo bags, lunch bags, and shopping bags), we also introduced a range of reusable string bags, made from organic cotton.
We’ve also just introduced a collection of eco cans, which are completely plastic-free! Made from PLA (Polylactic Acid - a biodegradable material derived from renewable resources like corn starch), these cans are completely commercially compostable.
Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade
This year, Rex London received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade following six years of outstanding growth overseas.
Sales Director Nigel Biggs says, ''We were proud to be recognised with this prestigious award. We take a global outlook when it comes to trade. Attending international trade shows allows us to meet a diverse range of international buyers and distributors who offer valuable insight into local markets and help us establish our trade worldwide.''
Left to right: Les Whiteman (Design Director), John Gurney (General Manager), Candy Smith (Head Buyer), Nigel Biggs (CEO), Taig Karanjia (Operations Manager). Photo credit: Nicholas Santrucek
What’s in store for 2020?
We can’t wait for our Wild Wonders collection to join the Rex London family in 2020! The bold print was designed by Nadia Taylor from our in-house team.
She says, “I wanted to design something bright and colourful that would appeal to young children. I chose colourful animals that I could add pattern to and tried to draw the animals with rounded curves and pleasing shapes. I love how the colours and shapes sit together and I am so happy it is going on so many products in 2020.”
Wild Wonders will soon appear on a variety of your favourite Rex London children’s products like snack pots, lunch boxes and jumbo bags.
Wild Wonders print
A big thank-you from everyone at Rex London for being one of our fantastic customers. We can’t wait to bring you more wonderful gifts and homeware in 2020.
