This woman's greeting cards celebrate her Nigerian heritage and Britain's diversity
LONDON -- Whether it's your BFF's birthday, or your parents' wedding anniversary, sending greeting cards are an important aspect in showing your affection for your loved ones.
But, when British-born Nigerian Georgina Fihosy went shopping for gift cards on the high street, she struggled to find a range of cards that represented the ethnic diversity of the UK.
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While Fihosy was on maternity leave from her job as a clinical pharmacist, she decided to start up her own greeting card company that would celebrate her Nigerian heritage and culture, and recognise Britain's diversity.
"I remember trying to find a card for a Nigerian friend who had just had a baby. Cards are so personal, so I wanted to give her a unique card that upon opening she could really identify with," Fihosy told Mashable.
"I searched for a card that had images of black families or a newborn black baby, but could not find anything in the major mainstream card retailers," Fihosy recalled.
"I was so disappointed that I decided to make the card myself, and that was basically how the business began; out of pure frustration for the lack of diversity in the British card industry," she continued.
According to the Office for National Statistics, 12% of Britain's population comes from a BAME -- Black, Asian, and minority ethnic -- background.
"We are such an ethnically diverse population, why wouldn't the greeting card industry embrace this?" says Fihosy.
"Consumers need to feel included as opposed to segregated and with other industries, such as supermarkets, retail, and fashion, slowly starting to embrace diversity, why wouldn't major retailers think about expanding their range of cards to be more inclusive?"
Through her greeting cards, Fihosy mixes African and other cultures through contemporary designs.
Fihosy creates each card individually in her home studio in Kent, UK, using bold African wax print fabrics and textured boards.
Fihosy wants to encourage the inclusion of more options for customers when it comes to buying greeting cards.
"I want to be able to go into a card shop and see my cards integrated with other cards, so that anyone can purchase them regardless of ethnicity," says Fihosy.
"But, in order for the customer to make a choice the option has to be there in the first place."
Fihosy's cards are priced at £3.50 ($5.06), and can be purchased online.
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Topics Diversity
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
