Beyond the Corporate Gift Catalogue: 30% of Island Whisper Atelier Projects Now Extend Beyond Luxury Hand Fans

The Singapore-based studio reports growing demand for wider corporate, event and hospitality gifting, including practical accessories, customised collections and a recent commission for a new international luxury lifestyle hotel opening in Spain.

SINGAPORE — Approximately 30% of Island Whisper Atelier’s current projects now include products or collections beyond its signature luxury hand fans, reflecting growing demand for a broader approach to corporate, event and hospitality gifting.

Recent briefs received by the Singapore-based studio have involved practical leather accessories, customised event gifts, guest amenities, textiles, presentation packaging and coordinated collections. Its hospitality work also includes a custom gifting commission developed for a new international luxury lifestyle hotel opening in Spain. The property name and commercial details have not been disclosed.

The hand fan remains the signature of Island Whisper Atelier. However, clients are increasingly approaching the studio with a recipient, occasion or objective rather than requesting a predetermined product.

This shift has led Island Whisper to develop a no-fixed-catalogue model in which every commission begins with the brief.

Starting with the brief, not the product

Artwork, colours, materials and finishing details are developed around each Island Whisper Atelier client brief.

Traditional corporate gifting often begins with a catalogue: a client selects an existing item and adds its logo. Island Whisper Atelier reverses that process.

The studio first considers who will receive the gift, where and how it will be used, what the organisation wants to communicate, the required quantity and the available production time. It then recommends the product, materials and level of personalisation best suited to that context.

The approach ranges from restrained corporate branding to completely original artwork.

A bank, technology company or professional-services firm may require an elegant and practical gift with discreet branding. A hotel may want a guest amenity connected to its property or destination. An event agency may need something useful for delegates, while a cultural organisation may look for an object that represents a landmark or local story.

“Not every project needs an elaborate artistic concept,” said Mónica Rodríguez, founder and artist at Island Whisper Atelier. “Some clients want original artwork, while others need something understated and practical. We begin with the audience and purpose, then develop the most appropriate solution rather than asking the client to choose from a fixed catalogue.”

Different briefs require different solutions

Island Whisper Atelier begins each project by understanding the client, audience and intended experience before selecting products, materials and finishes.

Island Whisper Atelier’s projects demonstrate how this process can respond to different requirements.

For Turespaña in Singapore, the studio created a destination-inspired luxury hand fan celebrating the colour, culture and character of Spain. The commission connected a functional object with a recognisable sense of place.

For Madrid Destino, an illustration of Madrid’s Puerta de Alcalá was adapted into a cultural hand fan, transforming an internationally recognised landmark into an object designed to be carried and used.

A project for an Irregular Lines event followed a more practical direction. Alongside customised hand fans, the studio developed leather organisers for charging cables and small technology accessories, responding to how guests could continue using the gift after the event.

The three briefs began with different priorities: destination representation, cultural identity and practical event gifting. Each required a different balance of function, materials, branding and creative development.

Luxury hand fans remain the signature

Although the Atelier now develops a wider range of gifting solutions, luxury hand fans remain central to the studio’s identity.

The format combines function with a visual surface that can support original artwork, architectural illustration, corporate colours or a restrained graphic treatment. Details can include natural or colour-finished wood, engraving, decorative cutwork, painted edges, coordinated tassels, protective pouches and presentation packaging.

For a destination or hospitality project, the fan may become a medium for visual storytelling. For a corporate client, the same format can be adapted with a minimal palette and discreet branding.

The expansion beyond hand fans is therefore not intended to replace Island Whisper’s founding product. It allows the studio to recommend additional formats when a client’s brief requires a different or more complete solution.

Corporate gifting without a fixed catalogue

Island Whisper Atelier works with hotels, resorts, restaurants, destination organisations, cultural institutions, premium brands, event agencies and corporate organisations internationally.

Clients begin by sharing the intended use, audience, quantity, destination, delivery date, budget parameters and any relevant brand or visual references. The studio then recommends a creative and production direction.

A project may result in one customised product or a coordinated collection. It may include original artwork or require no original artwork at all.

As approximately 30% of current projects now extend beyond luxury hand fans, Island Whisper Atelier’s evolution reflects a wider principle: organisations do not necessarily need more products from which to choose. They need a gifting solution appropriate to the people receiving it.

This press release has also been published on VRITIMES