Home and Fragrance brand, Marie-Stella-Maris.

The talented team at GPA Global were given the opportunity to collaborate with Dutch home and fragrance brand Marie-Stella-Maris, creating a beautiful run of packaging for both their limited-edition Festive and Mother’s Day lines.

Founded in 2011 by former Scotch and Soda owner Patrick Marie Stella Maris Munster, Marie-Stella-Maris has been redefining luxury from day one, with its commitment to environment-conscious production and fixed donation of profits towards sustainable water projects. Inspired by the human right to clean water and sanitation, the company has so far donated more than 1,800,000 euros, and helped over 70,000 people to gain access to these basic needs.

We wanted to create luxury packaging that would reflect this ethos, providing an experience for the user both in the aesthetic design of the pack, and the functional experience. It was important that the end result represented and elevated the product within while adhering to the environmental and social values of Marie-Stella-Maris.

Packaging solutions Marie Stella Maris

The Project Outcome

The result of this collaboration was two beautifully designed lines of packaging, each perfectly complementing the product it contained, while showcasing the eco and social credentials of Marie-Stella-Maris.

Wanting to keep the packaging as sustainable as possible, we turned first to pioneering paper supplier Velpa, a Dutch company specialising in paper made from recyclable materials.

For this packaging we used paper from three of their ranges: Denimised, which consist of 50% fibres from recycled jeans, Cocoality, which is crafted from finely ground cocoa bean husks, and Valorise, which owes its origins to the fibres of tomato plants.

We wanted this packaging to function seamlessly, while offering an enhanced user experience. Simple rigid fitments were installed to keep the various products in place, and either a lift-off-lid or fold-out box design employed depending on the contents within. The use of soft touch laminate added to the luxury feel, engaging further senses for a more holistic experience.

For the Mother’s Day line, which included a No 10 Rock Rose scented Hand and Body Gift Set and a Luxury Fragrance Stick Set, we opted for a plain white background adorned with polka dots in various shades of blush. Inspired by the soft petal-pink hues of confetti, this gave the design a fun and feminine feel, while evoking the floral product within.

Packaging solutions Marie Stella Maris

When it came to the Festive No 12 fragrance line, we took a bolder approach, choosing to contrast a soft black laminate background with white ink and a glittering gold-splash design, using premium quality gold foils. This not only added a sense of luxury, but represented the brand’s belief in the golden value of clean water. The foil also perfectly complemented the gold accenting of the products within, which consisted variously of a gold-dipped candle, a fragrance stick and candle Home Gift Set, and a Luxury Fragrance Stick Gift Set.

Using normal ink, we then printed ingredient lists and instructions for use directly onto the packaging, as well as a brand logo and mission statement from Marie-Stella-Maris’ on the interior.