The story behind our first Advent calendar

Bára, Manufaktura presented its first Advent calendar this year. Why did you decide that now was the right time?

We have been thinking about an Advent calendar for some time now. We know that it’s a popular item and our customers have been asking for one for many years.
On the other hand, we don’t like hopping onto all the trends, we like to be different sometimes. We know that an Advent calendar is exceptionally challenging in relation to planning and manufacturing, and the ecological aspect was also a big issue for us because Advent calendars are usually full of miniature sample products.

However, after intensive discussion of the pros and cons, we decided to introduce our first Advent calendar this year on the occasion of our company’s 35^th anniversary.

What was most important when coming up with the concept? How did you make sure it would appeal to Manufaktura’s customers?

Our goal was to design the Advent calendar in compliance with our brand’s philosophy – in the spirit of care, joy and relaxation, we designed it as unique and created it with respect for nature. This is also why you won’t find samples or single-use miniature products in our calendar. 

On the contrary, you can look forward to a cross-section of our best-sellers from popular collections, including eau de toilette, hand cream or truly deluxe skincare specialities in their original, full-size packaging, which will appear when you open the calendar’s windows on the 5^th of December (Saint Nicholas Day) and on Christmas Eve, and the calendar’s size will also come as a surprise. 

We also enjoy the ‘sharing is caring’ principle, which our calendar supports because it is made up of 2 sections. One with odd numbers and one with even numbers – so it can be shared by sisters, friends, or a mother and daughter for instance, and you can each enjoy a surprise every other day.

Šárka, you were the one who coordinated the entire project from the very beginning and helped overcome all the obstacles. What do you think was most challenging when preparing our very first Advent calendar?

When you look at the finished calendar today, what are you proudest of? And is there anything that customers would be surprised by if they knew what was behind its creation?

When I first saw the calendar I was simply really pleased that we had managed to complete it. I immediately thought of my two daughters who had been asking me for many years when Manufaktura would finally have an Advent calendar and who have provided me with motivation during the toughest moments while working on this project.

After we gave the project the green light, it was important to keep my colleagues optimistic and to make sure they believed that the project would be a success. This really was an exceptionally complex and challenging project, during which we came up against various obstacles. 

For example, we really did not expect to have to bring legal professionals onto our team because we encountered issues with patents regarding the structure of the packaging.

Lenka, what was the greatest challenge when developing the packaging for the Advent calendar? What is most important to ensure that it looks beautiful and also works practically?

The biggest challenge was to transform a creative idea into beautiful and also functional and practical packaging. We had to keep many details in mind when developing this packaging – from designing the structure and safe storage of 24 various surprises, through easy assembly, durability during transport and effective storage, to logistical requirements and attractive in-store presentation. 

The environmental aspects were also important to us. It was important to design the packaging so that we could use as many of our existing products as possible and so we didn’t have to produce a large quantity of special versions just for the calendar. 
We needed to combine all this with a beautiful design and the pleasure of opening a window every day. Finding the right balance between all these requirements is what is most challenging in designing packaging, but it is also the most interesting. 

Manufaktura typically works with local suppliers. Did you manage to produce the packaging for the Advent calendar in the Czech Republic?

Yes, and I am very pleased that we did. Three Czech packaging manufacturers were actually involved in the packaging and their work had to follow on seamlessly throughout production: the inner inserts, made from natural moulded pulp cardboard, which the products are inserted and attached into, were made for us by Tridas. THIMM Packaging made the subsequent boxes with the opening windows and the last large box, which holds the entire calendar, was made by the Kartex Printing House, which we have worked with for many years.

Nikol, the calendar is decorated with your original illustrations full of tiny details. Where did you find the inspiration and what ambiance did you want your pictures to evoke?

I wanted the calendar to be pretty, poetic, and to evoke that beautiful, slightly magical ambiance of the Advent period. So that it wasn’t just a calendar, but also a lovely interior decoration, which would give people pleasure throughout December.
I found my inspiration mainly in the small moments and details, which have always been a part of Christmas. I also wanted the illustrations to match the colour of this year’s limited collection, which is why there are burgundy accents in them.

I tried to create a small world, where it’s nice to stop for a little while and discover the little stories.

You managed to discreetly hide your dog Lotta in one of the illustrations. How did you come up with this idea and are there any more details hidden in your calendar, which customers may not notice at first glance?

I thought of this practically straight after I started to populate the individual windows and breathe life into them. I thought it would be nice to sneak Lotta into this little Christmas world and have her immortalised here. :) 

There are many similar little details in the calendar. For instance the birds behind the window, which you may not notice at first glance. It’s these small details that I enjoy most when I create illustrations. 

I like it when the picture is not just pretty at first glance, but also when you can gradually discover more and more details in it.