About Us

Inspiration

Each Christmas, I became more aware of the huge bags of trash we were taking out to the dumpster. This became apparent when the trash chute in our building was on ‘lock-down’ because the trash was overflowing in the compactor. At that point, we needed to walk our trash bags of torn-up but used-only-once wrapping paper, ribbons and bows down to the side of the dumpster, as even the extra trash dumpsters (delivered in anticipation of the Christmas overload) were all overflowing. Considering we recycle our 8 ½ x 11 INCH letter-size paper at the office, the large sheets of torn up wrapping paper we were dumping left me feeling very careless (not even considering the cost of the fancy paper and adornments).

In addition, I started to notice that I wasn’t enjoying having to wrap so many gifts. It almost became a task taking out the papers, tissue, boxes, ribbons and bows – measuring, cutting, taping, and tying – putting it all away – and then taking it all out again to wrap a few more gifts which I would, undoubtedly, always forget until the last minute when I was completely out of time. Probably less enjoyable was taking out all the wrapping supplies (from our very cluttered closet) to wrap just one single gift for a birthday party or wedding we were attending.

There were alternatives, I could use newspaper comics which can get a little messy, pretty fabric bags which are just that – bags – which seem to lack the anticipation of unwrapping, or pretty paper bags which I still needed to fill with tissue and tie some ribbon to. I knew there had to be a better way … Midori-dori.

Background

Inventor Stacy Uyehara Born and raised in Hawaii, as a young girl, my parents enrolled me in Japanese dancing lessons despite my begging to learn hula (I thought the poi balls and the pu'ili looked like fun!). My favorite part of the lesson was wrapping my kimono in a traditional furoshiki (Japanese wrapping cloth) after my lesson was over.

Midori-dori

The furoshiki is a really neat tradition with many uses dating back centuries in Japan, including its use as a gift wrap. This pretty cloth can be fashioned in many designs but lacks the traditional ‘bow’ which is the finishing touch on gift wrap as we know it. So, I added one. Not just a ribbon, but an actual elegant bow. After re-working the design many times – I wanted to ensure ease-of-use and a sleek ‘real gift wrap look’ which was elegant, sophisticated and beautiful – Midori-dori offers everything I envisioned!

Innovative –Patent Pending Midori-dori requires no wrapping skills to enhance a gift in beautiful wrap
Environmentally Friendly – Midori-dori is intended to be gifted many times forward as each receiver becomes it next giver
Aesthetic – Midori-dori truly enhances a gift with its elegant beauty and style
Easy to Use – Anyone who can tie a shoelace can use a Midori-dori (my 10-year old son was beaming the first time he used a Midori-dori and produced an actual custom wrapped gift!)
Fast – A gift can literally be completely wrapped in under a minute
Efficient – No paper, tape, scissors, ribbons or bows needed – Midori-dori is complete
Convenient – Even when travelling, a Midori-dori can be used to quickly wrap gifts upon arrival (unlike traditional gifts with crushable bows that need to be hand carried or end up smashed)
Romantic – An anniversary, birthday or Valentine’s gift can easily be enhanced with an elegant Midori-dori (a gift quickly wrapped in the car right outside the door will still look absolutely gorgeous!)
Profitable – Midori-dori can be used by retailers to offer elegant gift wrapping as a value-added service to their customers (gone will be long lines in the wrap department with Midori-dori’s efficiency!)

Sustainability

reusable gift wrap Midori-dori addresses our planet’s ultimate goal of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle on its highest level –Reduce. As a fabric wrap, Midori-dori reduces paper consumption and therefore, eliminates even the need for recycling. Midori-dori consumers are not only able to enhance their gift with unique and beautiful wrapping, but more importantly, Midori-dori consumers are giving the additional gift of awareness and enablement in developing a more ecologically friendly mindset and easily executed behaviors concerning gift wrapping. In this sense, Midori-dori is a tool or a process which is begun by the original purchaser of the product but perpetuates as the receiver thereafter becomes the giver when using the Midori-dori on a gift they are giving. Thus the term ‘gift it forward’, and in doing so, to spread awareness and promote ecologically responsible behaviors to the receivers of Midori-dori wrapped gifts.

Thank You

Thank you for visiting our website and reading our story. And thank you for beginning an environmentally conscious process and ‘gifting a Midori-dori forward’.

Stacy Uyehara
Midori-dori Inventor