The Unemployed Philosophers Guild traces its origins back to 1990, when two creative and determined brothers from New York, Stephan and David, found themselves grappling with the challenges of making a living One night they stumbled upon a unique process that enabled them to make pins and earrings in their mother’s kitchen that they successfully sold on the gritty streets of Manhattan. That initial success led to local stores expressing a keen interest in their products, and prompting requests for an expanded product line. This pivotal moment marked the beginning of our journey from selling on the streets to our present day “Ivory Tower.”

As demand for their distinctive creations grew, the proceeds funded the brothers’ graduate studies and also allowed them to pursue their artistic aspirations and incorporate their passions into their products and build the line to include finger puppets, heat-transforming color-changing mugs, stationery and much more. Today, the Unemployed Philosophers Guild stands proudly as a group of artists, writers, philosophers, and unconventional thinkers, forging ahead with creativity and resilience. Comprised of eleven creative people who bring their unique passions and energies to creating gifts for your stores The Guild is proud to say the perfect gift does exist…and we have it!