The NEIWAI Team's Ten-Minute 2020 Gift Guide
December 8, 2020
They holidays are finally here! Regardless of how you celebrate, I think we can agree that ‘tis the season for giving and gifting!
Some people are notoriously hard to shop for, and sometimes picking the right present is more stressful than it should be (it can even be hard to tell other people what you want!). Are you just getting started on gift shopping? Maybe you’re franticly searching for the perfect gift at the last minute? Regardless of where you are in your endeavors, we want to make things easier for you!
We polled our team and put together our favorite 2020 gift picks - a “best of” list of our top suggestions in several categories. These are brands and products we’ve loved this year that we’re either giving to our loved ones this holiday season or that we’re hoping to receive! It’s a quick read, easy to reference, and we hope it’ll be valuable to you as you finish your holiday shopping this year.
This guide is mostly for people shopping for the ladies in their lives, but don’t worry: plenty of these brands have great men’s selections too if you take a closer look! Oh, and in case it isn’t clear yet, other brands’ products mentioned here are staff picks - not official endorsements by NEIWAI! We make great products, but we can’t fulfill EVERY need yet. Luckily, our team has great taste, and many of the other products in this list are made by companies with similar values to our own!
If you're really in a hurry and don't have time for the full list, here are our top recommendations:
For Her: Barely Zero® One-Size-For-All Set
from NEIWAI
This bundle comes in a variety of colors and includes both the bra & brief at a discounted price. It's the perfect gift because you, the buyer, don't have to know the recipient's sizes - Barely Zero fits anyone!
It's a true one-size-for-all set with all the comfort and support of traditional underwear sets but without the stress of worrying about sizes when buying online.
For Him: Pens, Notebooks, & Home Office Accessories from Grovemade
You're probably thinking "These aren't clothes." You're right. (We have an entire section below dedicated to "everything else" down below.)
These are a great choice for everyone, not just Him. We love Grovemade's aesthetic and after a year of working from home, maybe it's time to spruce up your partner's creative space!
Headwear
Winter is coming, and they say that when it’s cold out we lose up to 80% of our body heat through our head. Now - is that true? That’s not for us to decide. We do know that the right earmuffs or beanie can make someone look 100% cuter!
Headwear makes for a great gift because it’s usually one-size-fits-most, and most are made to complement an outfit instead of being its centerpiece. You won’t have to worry about it matching the whole wardrobe of the person you’re buying it for!
Bras
For many, bras are a reluctant necessity (well, at least most of the time - this year might have been a little different). But for us, they’re a specialty. Every bra we make is meant to be the perfect confluence of comfort, support, and style. They’re meant to feel like an extension of your body, not something you have to dread putting on! Over 1.5 million women are wearing our bras today, so we’re confident that the person you’re shopping for will love them too.
But buying bras for someone else can be tricky. That’s part of the reason why our own Barely Zero bra is so great - it fits everyone! If you know the size and measurements of person you’re shopping for, great – you have so many options! But if not, reach for Barely Zero. They won’t be disappointed.
These have proven themselves to be fan favorites this year, and some of them are on sale for the rest of December!
Tops
Remember when we said layering was an option again? We’ll the person you’re shopping for will love these versatile tops! When we put together these selections, we specifically chose the ones we thought would pair well with just about anything – so go bold in your gifting!
Without further ado, here’s some of our favorite tops from this year. Everlane is doing a lot of great stuff in ethically sourcing their materials, and Madewell has this really cool program where they keep old clothes out of landfills by recycling and upcycling them. Both are cool brands that we think would jive well with NEIWAI’s own practices.
Take a look!
Underwear
Even if the person you’re shopping for has been in their apartment and working from home most of the year, our guess is that they’ve still been wearing underwear – and we don’t really want to know if they haven’t!
This is another category we’re deeply passionate about. Just like the bras above, these picks are made to make the wearer free (whether it’s you or the person you’re shopping for). Make them feel understood. As a bonus in this section, the Barely Zero brief is available at special bundle pricing as part of a set with the matching bra we recommended up above! So once again, if you don’t know the measurements of the person you’re shopping for – that’s your go-to.
Bottoms
It’s hard to say no to a good pair of jeans. Everyone wears them, and they’re a great gift since it’s pretty easy to find out someone’s size before buying a pair! When it comes to recommending some, Everlane is once again a natural choice for us. Their denim selection is stylish and durable. Our team members love their jeans, and Everlane’s sustainability practices mesh well with NEIWAI’s own ethics.
Of course, jeans aren’t everything – sometimes you need something that’s a little comfier, but still nice enough to go out on errands or meet up with friends (those days will come again soon). We happen to have just the thing for the lucky person you’re shopping for!
Loungewear & Pajamas
What can we say? When it comes to pajamas and the comfy clothes you look forward to changing into at the end of the day, we take the cake. With standard sizing and a comfortably loose fit, it’s easy to choose the right size when gifting a set!
Here are our team’s favorites from our coziest collection! (Pro tip: these count as office clothes too, these days.)
Shoes!
One name kept coming up in our staff survey: Allbirds. They’re an environmentally conscious footwear brand that use some of the same ethically sourced materials (like Merino wool and recycled nylon) that we use at NEIWAI. They make a variety of attractive and comfortable shoes for both men and women, and we just love 'em. Another fave is Rothy’s, who also have a great sustainability ethos and some lovely styles. Oh, and who doesn’t love comfy slippers?
Active
It might be a little chilly outside, but who doesn’t like a brisk jog once in a while? Our NEIWAI Active collections are great for anyone, regardless of fitness level or activity. Jogger? Dancer? Boxer? These sports bras and leggings are built for comfort and support regardless of the range of motion, and seeing as they’re highly elastic, they’re a perfect gift for any athlete in your life! Winter doesn’t last forever, so make sure to check out our swimwear too!
(Oh, and the leggings are also great for sitting around and watching TV. Just saying.)
Cosmetics & Fragrances
Because of course we can’t forget these! We could have a whole discussion about cosmetics and fragrances, but let’s leave that for another time. In brief: if you don’t know what someone likes, it’s hard to go wrong with a gift set like one of these.
And everything else.
Last but certainly not least, here are some ideas for some affordable jewelry, accessories, and other off-the-wall ideas that won’t involve too many measurements or anything else of the sort.
From neat notebooks and desk accessories from Grovemade, scented candles from Diptyque, and even a gift card to our shop, these ideas are sure to be appreciated this holiday season!
Thanks for reading! Celebrate safely and happy holidays!
- Your friends from the NEIWAI team.