Long given short shrift in the face of screens, paper nevertheless retains its singular place: that of pleasure, gesture and the personal object. Papier is a case in point. Papier is a British stationery brand founded in 2015 by 35-year-old Taymoor Atighetchi. The company now claims 2.5 million customers worldwide. According to Business Insider papier, which only produces on demand, has doubled its sales between 2022 and 2025, and expects to exceed £40 million (?46 million) in sales by 2025.
This success is not based on a rejection of technology: even though the brand is present in major English stores, Papier remains an online sales platform. But the brand captures a digital fatigue that has become commercial.
"As everyday communication goes digital and electronic, more thoughtful and important exchanges are enriched by quality stationery." he explained in 2018 to Retail Gazette notebooks, cards, stationery and diaries are all part of this search for tangible, personalized objects that are slower than notifications.
"Everything about writing âeuros notes, âeuros letters is very intentional. It's very human." notes Taymoor Atighetchi, quoted by Business Insider . The figures point in this direction: correspondence cards would have increased by 33% year-on-year in 2025, while writing paper would have risen by 23%.
The CEO had seen the first signs of this need for digital detox among millennials (born between 1980 and 1996) when he launched Papier 11 years ago, but had not anticipated the infatuation of Generation Z (1996-2012). Today, this generation represents 35% to 40% of its customer base.
The return of paper is not just nostalgic. For millennials, stationery may be a reminder of an old-fashioned use; for younger people, on the contrary, it becomes an aesthetic and social novelty.
Papier is also seeing increased demand for hobbies that include paper or cardboard: journaling, scrapbooking, board games. The brand also plans to expand its range to include games such as chess and backgammon.
And the arrival of artificial intelligence should add a new dimension to the movement. "AI will accelerate the need for authenticity. It will accelerate the desire for human creativity." according to Taymoor Atighetchi.
The Papier case is not enough to proclaim a general shift in the entire stationery industry. But it does document a clear trend: resilient paper is no longer merely functional. It's becoming a medium for attention, style and disconnection. In other words, paper for pleasure.
