Saddle up and off into the adventure! School is fun – especially with the right equipment. From backpacks to pencil cases, pens to organisers – the hotspot for new products in the ‘Urban Gifts, Stationery & School’ segment was the Giving Hall 4.2, with around 300 exhibitors from 36 countries.
On your marks, get set, go!
New school year, new style. Manufacturers are focusing on the latest trends, especially for the popular complete sets, from school bags to gym bags. The latest collections range from casual skater looks to imaginative designs. The Ancor brand, for example, equips its school bags, college blocks, exercise books and pencil cases with special extras – from glitter appliqués to scented bears.
Yolo also impresses with bright colours and fresh nautical designs, while DKT creates a good mood with marshmallow and lemonade designs. For older students, the stylish roll-top backpacks from the New Rebels collection by Like it a lot or Zwei are a popular alternative. Their well-thought-out interior helps to optimally organise the school day.
Back to handwriting
Despite class chat, tablets and the like, handwriting is increasingly coming into focus again. Studies confirm that those who write by hand learn to read and write faster and remember the content they have written down better. The Italian brand Legami shows how entertaining writing can be, having triggered a real hype with its erasable gel pens. At Ambiente 2025, it presented not only new animal characters, but also transparent monster pencil cases that provide a view of one's own pen collection. The Spanish brand Apli offers a clever solution for pencil fans. The ‘Infinite Pencil’ in trendy neon colours has a replaceable graphic tip that writes for 16 km without breaking or needing to be sharpened.
Recommended by schools
The German stationery brand Kaweco promotes a love of fountain pens with a special campaign: the collectible series ‘Kaweco DIY Sport’ is available exclusively from specialist retailers and allows customers to assemble their own fountain pen using the original machines. A new trend colour is introduced every year. The manufacturer has already used this campaign to visit schools to promote the joy of handwriting. “It completely changes the relationship to the writing instrument, because a self-made fountain pen is simply something special,” explains Michael Gutberlet, owner of Kaweco.
Other manufacturers also work closely with schools. For example, the innovative ring binders from Carchivo are used by many materialists in Spanish schools. The unique tab system makes it easy to expand and customise the ring binder, so that there is a folder for every school subject. The hard cover protects the contents, so that timetables, homework and notes are always to hand and safely stored.
Perfectly organised
Do you want to make learning fun and keep things tidy? No problem thanks to a wide range of smart products. Kikkerland, for example, offers a versatile portfolio – from wooden book and page holders to sticky notes that grow like a flower meadow out of the book. The Spanish brand Milan has been inspired by its iconic classic erasers to create several collections, including a perfectly organised coloured pencil case for budding artists. OMY's cool pencil box, shaped like a pencil, also helps to keep desks tidy. It opens and closes with a simple click mechanism. Speaking of closing: the Israeli brand Zipit surprises with creative zip designs, including monster pencil cases that show their “teeth” when opened.
Next fair dates:
Ambiente will again be held in early February, concurrently with Christmasworld and Creativeworld at the Frankfurt exhibition grounds.
Ambiente/Christmasworld: 06 to 10 February 2026
Creativeworld: 06 to 09 February 2026
Note for journalists:
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