ChrisCross Designs is delighted to have joined the Home & Gift Association, marking another exciting milestone for the new creative business following its debut at Home & Gift Harrogate this summer.

Founded by Christine Nicholls, ChrisCross Designs brings together more than 40 years of experience in the toy and gift industry with a lifelong passion for colour, creativity and character-led design.

The Monkee Tailz 45cm softies

Meet ChrisCross Designs A new chapter after 40 years in the industry From as early as she can remember, creativity has been a huge part of Christine's life, influenced by her talented mum and later nurtured during her years at art college. After graduating, a job opportunity in the toy industry became the beginning of a long and successful career, during which Christine gained invaluable experience in soft toy design, product development, production and running a business. More recently, she decided to bring all that knowledge and experience together to create something of her own, and ChrisCross Designs was born.

ChrisCross Designs founder Christine Nicholls

Colour, creativity & character

Meet the collections

At the heart of ChrisCross Designs is Monkee Tailz, a colourful, character-led collection inspired by the ancient art of Batik and vibrant tropical colours. Each Monkee has its own unique pattern and is part of a growing gift range including soft toys, keyrings, mugs, tote bags and jewellery.

Alongside Monkee Tailz, ChrisCross Designs has also developed its Cats Protection and Bollywoof collections, bringing together distinctive characters, storytelling and playful gifting.

The three collections were showcased at Home & Gift Harrogate this summer, giving Christine and the team the opportunity to introduce ChrisCross Designs to buyers and retailers and begin building new relationships across the industry.

Behind the scenes

Bringing the characters to life

ChrisCross Designs is continuing to develop its character-led collections, with the Cats Protection plushies arriving in the UK warehouse ready to launch for AW26.

Harley the cat making friends with a Cats Protection development sample

The Cats Protection plushies arrive in the UK warehouse ready to launch in AW26

From concept to collection Another step forward for ChrisCross Designs As the business grows, Christine is continuing to combine decades of product development experience with the freedom to create and develop character-led collections of her own.

Joining the community

Why joining the HGA matters

For Christine, joining the Home & Gift Association is about much more than membership. After more than four decades in the industry, it's an opportunity to stay connected to the wider gift community, exchange ideas and knowledge, keep close to developments within the sector and build relationships with other businesses and retailers.

It's also an opportunity to contribute her own experience while continuing to learn from others as ChrisCross Designs grows.

What's next?

Looking ahead

ChrisCross Designs is now focused on growing its network of retailers and stockists, continuing to develop its three collections and bringing its colourful, character-led products to a wider audience.

Becoming part of the Home & Gift Association marks another exciting step in that journey, and the team is looking forward to everything that lies ahead.

Some of the ChrisCross team celebrating after a successful Home & Gift Harrogate 2026

This Member News article is based on a press release provided by HGA member ChrisCross Designs.