Discover New Emerging Brands Before Everyone Else.
Sent Weekly.
Sent Weekly.
We're skipping the big-box stores to support the best under-the-radar brands—and giving much cooler gifts while we're at it.
The best part of discovering a new brand isn't just finding it—it's sharing it.
This holiday season, we're inviting you to give the gift of discovery.
Before you fill your cart with the same gifts from the same mega-brands as last year, let's talk about the challenge.
Let's be real: finding a quality gift under $50 is harder than ever this year. That price point has become a no-man's-land, stuck somewhere between generic, Temu-esque, "clutter" and the really good stuff that starts at $100. On top of all that, it's easy to just give up and buy a gift card.
But this year, we're doing something better. Let's be intentional. Let's think small.
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Gifting from an emerging brand is the ultimate win-win: you get to support a passionate creator, and your recipient gets a far more thoughtful and unique gift.
All year long, we hunt for the best emerging brands (like the ones we've featured on Previewer) so you don't have to. Now, we're putting that list to work.
On a more serious note, our team at Previewer works with a lot of small and emerging businesses. They are friends, family, and just acquaintances, but we love them and we love this space. This year was hard for them. The t-word (tariffs, AH!) hit small businesses hard. Giving these brands a boost this holiday season is the least that we can do to support the little guys.
Below are our top picks for the best gifts under $50.
And if you're wondering if this is just our team's personal Christmas Wish List... the answer is basically yes.
This is the "once you buy it you can't live without it" gift (Source: I've bought multiple packs of these). Grizzly Supply is a brand obsessed with quality and innovative cable management, and these magnetic cable holders are their masterpiece. They feature adhesive that sticks firmly to a nightstand, desk, or even the wall, and the strong magnetic closure holds your charging cable in place. It's the perfect gift for the person who is tired of fishing for their dropped phone charger down the ravine of death.
Price: $11.99
For the woman in your life whose makeup bag is a bottomless pit, this is the answer. The Flat Lay Co. created this ingenious pouch to solve one simple problem: rummaging. It's a normal-looking pouch that, when pulled, opens up completely flat into a mat. It's perfect for just sitting in the sink of your hotel room while your girlfriend gets ready to go out. You can see all your makeup at once, and when you're done, you just pull the drawstring to zip it all back up. This embroidered velvet version gives this product a luxurious feel greater than its price tag.
Price: $36.99
Yes, luxury laundry detergent. Trust us. Mozi Wash is for the person who appreciates the finer, sensory things in life. This plant-based, ultra-concentrated detergent comes in a stunning, eco-friendly metal bottle and smells like a tropical vacation (think citrus, hibiscus, and sweet fruit). Think cologne and laundry detergent had a baby. It turns a boring chore into an act of self-care and makes their entire closet smell incredible.
Price: $35.00
Finding high-quality, polarized sunglasses that actually look good for under $50 is tough, but WMP Eyewear nailed it. This independent brand delivers designer-level style (and 100% UV protection) at a price that feels like a typo. It's actually hard to find sunglasses that don't feel like cheap Amazon plastic, but WMP has quality gear. The "Nick" has a classic, universally flattering square frame that's built to last. It's the perfect gift for the stylish friend who is always losing their expensive pair.
Price: $45.00
The James Brand makes premium, minimalist tools for everyday carry. Our gift pick, The Palmer, is their stylish take on the humble utility knife. Think of it as the ultimate "fancy box cutter". Infinitely useful for opening packages, crafts, or quick cuts, this tool feels incredible in the hand and looks good doing it. While the metal versions are a little bit over budget, the slick "Clear" models are under $40 and look just as cool.
Price: $39.00
Peel is the brand for people who hate phone cases. They pioneered the "super thin" case, which measures just 0.35mm thick. This is not a case for drop protection—it's for the true minimalist who wants to protect their phone from scuffs and scratches without adding any bulk. It's a "caseless" feel that lets them appreciate the phone's original design, and it's the gift your tech-obsessed friend will actually use.
Price: $39.00
One of our favorite finds on this list. A little bit of "Crazy Horse" leather goes a long way. St George Leather Shop makes handcrafted, ruggedly elegant goods that instantly upgrade a workspace. This genuine leather desk mat (the small one is perfectly under budget) gives any desk a sophisticated, organized feel. It protects the surface, serves as a mousepad, and makes their WFH setup feel 100x more professional.
Price: $25.99
Communal Cowboy is a brand that just radiates cool. This unstructured, 5-panel hat is a huge step up from a standard baseball cap. The shorter brim is on-trend, and the "Jake Brake" graphic gives it a vintage, road-trip vibe without trying too hard. It's the perfect hat for the friend who is particular about their style and appreciates a good brand story.
Price: $40.00
This is not the little tree you get at the car wash. Olauto creates elevated, nostalgic "Fougère" scents for your car, and "Dad's Truck" is their signature. It's a complex, masculine scent of worn denim, aftershave, bergamot, and cashmere musk. It's a ridiculously cool, small gift for the person who loves their car and appreciates good design.
Price: $33.00
Gravity is the brand that started the weighted blanket craze, and they've applied that same tech to this incredible sleep mask. It uses gentle, weighted pressure (about 1 lb) on the key relaxation points around your eyes. It blocks out 100% of light and feels like a gentle "do not disturb" hug for your face. It's the gift of better sleep, which is honestly priceless.
Price: $36.00
For the car enthusiast, the WFH professional, or the PC gamer, this is the ultimate desk accessory. The Mousepad Company makes massive, high-performance desk mats that are works of art. This one, featuring the iconic Porsche 959, is just pure style. It provides a smooth surface for a mouse, protects the desk, and adds a huge dose of personality to their entire setup.
Price: $49.99
No one does "nostalgia in a bottle" better than Vacation®. This body mist is the signature scent of their famous After Sun gel, bottled. It's a light, refreshing spray with notes of Aloe Vera, Green Tea, and "Acqua di Colonia." It smells exactly like you just walked out of a resort pool in 1986 after sipping on a pina colada. It's pure, sun-kissed happiness for under $25.
Price: $24.00
Best Made Co. is a brand for those who love heritage gear, and this is one of their most iconic (and affordable) pieces. It's a 22-gauge steel, powder-coated, and spot-welded box that's built to last a lifetime. The "Type P" is perfectly sized for pencils, pens, and other small desk tools. It's one of those gifts that could be in a workshop holding tools or in the bedroom holding jewelry. It's an heirloom-quality gift for the designer, artist, or tinkerer in your life.
Price: $38.00
For the friend who always travels, this is a packing game-changer. From the travel pros at Away, The Shoe Cube is a simple, brilliant way to keep dirty shoe soles away from clean clothes in a suitcase. It's made of water-repellent nylon and has a collapsible divider inside to separate two pairs. It's one of those gifts they will use on every single trip for the next decade…or until they accidentally leave it in Cabo.
Price: $28.00
Twelve South is a brand for premium Apple accessories, and the PowerBug is a genius gadget for any iPhone user. It's a minimal charger that turns any outlet into a MagSafe charging dock. No more searching the house for an iPhone cord. It also has an extra USB-C port at the bottom to charge a second device just in case. It's the perfect, clutter-free charger for a nightstand, kitchen, or office.
Price: $49.99
Ranger Station is a Nashville-based fragrance brand that pours all their 8 oz. candles into reusable cocktail glasses. This Discovery Set is the perfect introduction. It includes three mini-candles (in shot glasses!) of their best-selling scents: Leather + Pine, Santalum, and Old Fashioned. It's a 3-in-2-in-1 gift: first, three new scents to try; second, a new set of barware; and third, a fantastic-smelling home.
Price: $43.50
This is the gift of peace of mind. Nomad makes some of the most rugged, high-end tech accessories on the market. Their Tracking Card Pro is as thin as a couple of credit cards but has the full power of Apple's "Find My" network built-in. It slips into any wallet and has a battery that lasts over a year on a single charge. For the person who is always misplacing their wallet, this is the best $40 you can spend.
Price: $39.00
This is how you do "home decor" with heart. The Handmade Sign Co. isn't a faceless corporation; it's a mother-daughter team that makes beautiful, 3D laser-cut wood signs. This 11x16-inch sign, with its weathered walnut frame, feels both rustic and modern. It's a timeless piece for a nursery, a kid's bedroom, or a living room that says something sweet without being cheesy. Gifting this is like giving a warm, handcrafted hug.
Price: $50.00
This is the 'if you know, you know' of notebooks. Midori is a Japanese brand with a cult following for one simple reason: its paper. The legendary "MD Paper" is engineered for fountain pen users, meaning it's impossibly smooth and has zero bleed-through, even with the wettest inks. It's not just the paper, though. The exposed thread-stitched binding is iconic, but it's also functional—it lets the notebook lay perfectly flat on a desk, making it a joy to write in. This is the perfect gift for the journaler, the list-maker, or the analog-obsessed friend in your life.
Price: $12.10
This is the ultimate treat for your friend with dietary restrictions (or anyone who just loves dessert). Doughlicious is a London-based brand that said "no more" to boring, gluten-free, and vegan options. Their masterpiece? These Cookie Dough & Gelato Bites. They're an ingenious combination of rich chocolate chip cookie dough wrapped around creamy vanilla gelato and dusted in a cookie crumb. It's the pinnacle of indulgence, and it just happens to be 100% gluten-free, vegan, and non-dairy.
Price: $5.99
To be honest, this list was hard to make…mostly because we had to stop ourselves from buying everything on it. I failed, by the way. I bought two things while writing this, and I'm not even a little bit ashamed.
This is the entire point of Previewer. We're here to prove that you don't have to choose between "thoughtful" and "easy." It's so tempting to just click the first Black Friday link from a mega-brand, but you know that gift won't be remembered. The gifts on this list will be.
These are the exact brands we get excited about, the ones we scour the internet for every single week. They're the "next big thing," and by gifting them, you're not just giving a cool product—you're giving the gift of discovery. You're supporting a passionate founder.
Thanks for trusting us with your holiday shopping and for choosing to support emerging brands. Now go give a gift that no one else will.
