City Christmas gift guide 2020
By: City, Uni Of London
Tags: Christmas, University, Students, Entrepreneurship, Novel

E-cards have been sent, Quality Street boxes emptied and everyone is excitedly dreading the three-hour Zoom office party, which can only mean one thing — it is Christmas.

So if you’re worried that your shopping is looking as bleak as 2020, then fear not, the City Gift Guide is here to save your Christmas!

We’ve compiled a list of the best new products and books coming from our student and alumni businesses that could make the perfect gift for a lucky person in your bubble.

Give more than just a pair of socks

Thuta Khin and Joey Li (MSc Marketing, Strategy and Innovation, 2019)

We’ve all unwrapped a pair of colourful Christmas socks, but this year you can give a someone a pair that really matters.

Joey Li and Thuta Khin’s (MSc Marketing, Strategy and Innovation, 2019) social good startup, Leiho, donate a pair of warm socks to a homeless shelter for every pair that they sell.

Clean socks are the most requested item of clothing from homeless shelters and charities, however they are the least likely thing to be donated. This year, Leiho has branched into water bottles, tote bags and even Christmas crackers and with every purchase they give something back to vulnerable communities.

See their full range here.

Hair and skin on point

Irene Afari, (MSc Public Health 2017) Native Nous

Who says that our hair and skin need to look like we’ve lived through a pandemic?!

Irene Afari, (MSc Public Health 2017) and her organic haircare and skincare business, Native Nous, could be the perfect gift to help someone look on point for 2021.

Using handcrafted, vegan, organic, cruelty free and unrefined natural ingredients, Native Nous is a millennials dream!

See their full range here.

Move over Turkey

Liz Nguyen and Joseph Tam (MSc, Marketing Strategy & Innovation, 2016) with Eat Chay cook-at-home-kits

Fancy a change from the usual turkey, roasties and Brussels sprouts? Then maybe it is time to liven up your dinner table with some delicious vegan Asian food!

Liz Nguyen and Joseph Tam’s (MSc, Marketing Strategy & Innovation, 2016), vegan Asian food startup, Eat Chay, is most known for keeping customers happy at Shoreditch Boxpark, however they are now offering cook-at-home kits.

From baos, to bibimbaps to tonkotsu, Eat Chay offers the perfect alternative to your traditional Christmas dinner.

See their full range here.

Lose those Christmas pounds

Class-ify

If, unlike the rest of us, you have managed to stay in shape over lockdown, then don’t let the pigs in blankets slow you down!

Tristan Rushworth, (Executive MBA), and his teams’ fitness platform, Class-ify could be the ideal gift to help someone keep — or get back into shape!

With over 100 live classes a week, 200 classes available on demand and eight disciplines, the platform connects users to their ideal fitness instructors and a close-knit exercise focused community.

See their website for more information here

Get lost in lockdown with a good book

The Lies you told, by Harriet Tyce

The Lies you Told, by Harriet Tyce

Following on from her blockbuster debut novel, Blood Orange, Harriet Tyce, Novel Studio alumna, is back on the shelves again with The Lies you Told.

Tyce’s new book proposes a parental nightmare where the main character, Sadie is put to the ultimate test to keep her daughter safe.

A gripping, emotional page-turner that may well turn those tiers into tears!

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, by Deepa Anappara

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, by Deepa Anappara

Longlisted for the Women’s Prize 2020, Deepa Anappara’s debut novel, Djinn on the Purple Line, has received critical acclaim.

The Novel Studio alumna, tells the story of nine-year-old, Jai, who uses his crime solving skills, learnt from TV cop shows, to investigate why children in his village are disappearing.

His journey takes him to one of the most dangerous parts of India, where he must confront terrified parents, an indifferent police force and soul-snatching djinns in order to uncover the truth.

Blurred Lines, by Hannah Begbie

Blurred Lines by Hannah Begbie

Get to grips with a tense thriller to see you through the new year.

Novel Studio alumna, Hannah Begbie’s second novel Blurred Lines, follows the story of Becky, who witnesses an affair between her boss and a woman who is not his wife. Her boss has done so much for her career, but when the woman accuses him of rape, will Becky come forward?

Ten Steps to Us, by Attiya Khan

Ten Steps to Us, by Attiya Khan

If you’re looking for love in 2021, then look no further than Novel Studio Alumna’s Attiya Khan’s Ten Steps To US.

Set for the Spring of 2021, Khan’s coming of age story challenges main character Aisha, a devout hijab-wearing muslin who falls in love with a boy who is off limits. Can Aisha keep both the boy and her faith? Pre-order for May 2021!