• Papier CEO Taymoor Atighetchi explains why he believes his brand is resonating in the age of AI.
• The stationery company doubled sales between 2022 and 2025.
• It is now expanding into board games, with backgammon and chess sets set to launch later this year.

In a world dominated by screens, Papier CEO Taymoor Atighetchi believes stationery has become a quiet form of escape.

Founded in 2015, stationery brand Papier has grown from a UK startup into a company serving 2.5 million customers globally. It doubled sales between 2022 and 2025, generating more than £40 million ($54 million) in the year ending January 2026.

The brand has been capitalizing on a broader push among millennials and Gen Z toward going analog. Atighetchi saw early signs of a "digital detox" among millennials when the company launched, but didn't anticipate how strongly Gen Z would later embrace it.

As more of life has moved online, digital fatigue has set in, driving renewed interest in offline hobbies like journaling, scrapbooking, and board games — a shift Papier is leaning into.

Now AI is adding another layer.

As concerns grow around job losses and the erosion of workplace skills, some consumers are seeking out experiences that feel more intentional and human.

AI is "going to accelerate the need for authenticity. It's going to accelerate people wanting human creativity," Atighetchi said.

"People will become sick of algorithms dictating everything they should do and say," he said. "Everything to do with writing — writing notes, letters — is very intentional. It's very human."

The handwritten note becomes more important than ever, he said.

This drive for authenticity is showing up in sales. Papier reported that notecards grew 33% year on year in 2025, while writing paper rose 23%. Notecards are particularly popular in the US, where sales in 2025 more than tripled those in the UK.

Stationery is a novelty for Gen Z

After studying History of Art at the University of Cambridge, Atighetchi worked as a management consultant at Bain.

It was during his time there that he identified that the stationery market needed disruption.

"I realized that this is actually quite a big niche, and one that needed some disruption and had no real category leader — or at least one that was more relevant to modern consumers," he said.

Papier was set up to be digital-first, offering consumers ways to personalize and buy stationery online.

And despite its analog offering, Papier is still, in principle, a "tech-heavy business," Atighetchi said.

While it was originally aimed at millennials, Gen Z now accounts for 35% to 40% of its customers.

Atighetchi said the company didn't foresee that this generation would become such a key customer for the brand. For millennials, stationery is nostalgic; for Gen Z, it's more of a novelty. "It's almost a new discovery," he said.

Products like its academic diaries have proven especially popular with this generation, with Papier selling around 1,400 of these a day during the back-to-school period.

The ability to personalize products on its website is also something Gen Z loves, he said.

Then there's the trendy aesthetic of its products. Papier works with up-and-coming British designers such as Luke Edward Hall and Damson Madder to stay current in its designs.

"We're very keen to always make sure that we're right at the front of trend, of design, of art, culture," Atighetchi said.

The company is now expanding further into offline experiences. It plans to open its own retail stores, starting in the UK, and is investing in games. It plans to launch chess and backgammon sets later this year.

Hobbies, particularly analog games that can be played with others, are being increasingly seen as an antidote to social isolation and screen fatigue.

"Anything that takes people away from digital experiences into physical experiences, that's something that Gen Z wants more and more and more of," Atighetchi said.

He's energized by a broader shift toward a more analog life.

"It's good for our brains and our souls and for future generations that we're not just sitting and scrolling," he said.

"You know, I think it's a good news story if you tell people, 'you know what people are sketching again,' I think everyone collectively feels that that's great for the world," he added.

• Spiking jet fuel prices have left airlines looking for ways to recoup their extra costs.
• Many airlines have already increased ticket prices, and now some are bumping checked bag fees.
• Delta Air Lines said it will increase fees for first and second checked bags by $10 from Wednesday.

Travelers are feeling the pinch from the war in Iran.

Many airlines have already increased ticket prices and introduced fuel surcharges, but now there's a new target: checked bags.

Three major US airlines have increased baggage fees in recent days as soaring jet fuel prices have left them scrambling to offset skyrocketing costs.

The US and Israel's war on Iran has caused supply chain disruptions, leading to a surge in jet fuel prices, which has tightened margins for airlines.

Flight prices are rising as a result, and some airlines have already canceled — or are planning to cancel — flights due to the jet fuel shortages.

See which airlines have increased their fees for checked luggage:

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines will increase fees for first and second checked bags by $10 from Wednesday, according to a statement shared with Business Insider.

For the third checked bag, fees will increase by $50. The changes apply to domestic and select short-haul international routes, and will not impact long-haul international flights or complimentary bag benefits, the airline said.

"These updates are part of Delta's ongoing review of pricing across its business and reflect the impact of evolving global conditions and industry dynamics," Delta said in the statement on Tuesday.

United Airlines

United Airlines said on Friday that it was raising the fees for first and second checked bags by $10. Like Delta, it said it will charge an extra $50 for third bags.

The airline said in a previously shared statement to Business Insider that this would apply to "customers traveling in the US, Mexico, and Canada and Latin America beginning with tickets purchased Friday, April 3."

JetBlue

JetBlue increased its checked baggage fees at the end of March.

The price of a first checked bag for a domestic flight has risen to $39 from $35 on non-peak days, and to $49 from $40 on peak travel days.

In a previous statement to Business Insider, the airline did not directly reference rising fuel prices as the reason for the fee increase, though it did note that its operating costs are rising.

"As we experience rising operating costs, we regularly evaluate how to manage those costs while keeping base fares competitive and continuing to invest in the experience our customers value," a spokesperson for JetBlue previously told Business Insider.

• Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, says there are two "extreme" outcomes of the war in Iran.
• He said that if oil hits $150 a barrel, there will be a "stark and steep recession."
• But Fink said if Iran could be accepted by the international community, there would be growth.

Larry Fink laid out two outcomes from the Iran war: abundance and growth, or a global recession.

Speaking on the BBC's "Big Boss Interview" podcast on Wednesday, BlackRock CEO Fink said the outcome hinges on what happens next with Iran. If the country comes out of the war accepted by the global community and able to bring its oil back to market, that could boost supply and push prices lower.

But if Iran continues to pose a threat to trade, the Strait of Hormuz, and regional stability, oil prices could stay above $100 for the long term.

"Everybody has to recognize there's not going to be an outcome that's somewhere in the middle. It's going to either be two extremes," he said.

The US hasn't meaningfully imported crude or petroleum from Iran since 1979, according to the Energy Information Administration, after decades of sanctions.

Fink said a more open Iranian government could bring "Iranian oil back into the marketplace," helping drive prices back down to prewar levels and easing costs for consumers and businesses.

If that doesn't happen, though, and Iran doesn't move closer diplomatically to the US, Europe, and Gulf states, oil could climb toward $150 a barrel, with "profound implications" for the global economy.

"The $40 oil implication is one of abundance and growth. The other one is an outcome of probably a stark and steep recession," said Fink.

Rising energy prices are a 'regressive tax'

After the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran over three weeks ago, Iran has responded with strikes on Israel, Gulf states, US bases, and, crucially for oil markets, cargo vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

This has led to a significant drop in traffic through the strait, which transits 20% of the world's oil and LNG supply. Oil has spiked by as much as 60% since the start of the war and has fluctuated with the perceived likelihood of peace negotiations — jumping on escalations, and falling when a solution looks more likely.

"Rising energy prices are a very regressive tax," Fink said. "It affects the poor more than the wealthy, because it's a larger component of their pocketbook."

The spike in oil prices is already being felt across the world — from the price of gas at the pump to flight tickets.

On Friday last week, the International Energy Agency outlined a range of measures that governments, businesses, and households could take to mitigate the impact of oil market disruptions.

These include working from home where possible and avoiding air travel.

Fink said countries, including the US, need to use the oil and gas that they have, but should "aggressively" lean into alternative energy sources, such as solar.

The BlackRock CEO said in the interview that he is a proponent of solar energy and that the US needs to "fully embrace solar."

Fink had said in his 2022 letter to CEOs said the next 1,000 unicorns will be companies making "the energy transition affordable for all consumers."

• The International Energy Agency released new guidance for people and governments as oil prices soar.
• First on the list of recommendations: Work from home if you can.
• The IEA also suggests minimizing air travel and driving more slowly on the highway.

The International Energy Agency, one of the world's most important energy groups, has issued 10 measures for governments, businesses, and households to take immediately as oil prices soar.

First on the list: Work from home where possible. This will reduce the use of oil used on commutes, the IEA wrote on its website on Friday.

Other measures the IEA suggests include reducing highway speed limits by at least six miles per hour, car sharing, cutting air travel, and using public transport more.

The IEA said that cutting down on business flights "can quickly ease pressure on jet fuel markets."

The agency also suggests switching to electric cooking and shifting bi-fuel and converted vehicles from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to gasoline where possible.

The price of Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, is around $106 per barrel on Friday, having risen to nearly $120 a barrel on Thursday following an attack by Iran on a major liquefied natural gas complex in Qatar.

The war in the Middle East continues to disrupt global supply chains, sending oil prices above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022.

"The war in the Middle East is creating a major energy crisis, including the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market. In the absence of a swift resolution, the impacts on energy markets and economies are set to become more and more severe," IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said in a statement.

The IEA advises governments and businesses on how to ensure energy systems are stable, sustainable, and affordable. The agency comprises 32 member countries, including the US and the UK.

It warned that the new measures, while potentially effective, cannot completely offset the disruption to the energy markets caused by the war.

"They can play a meaningful role in lowering costs for consumers, reducing markets strains and preserving fuels for essential uses until normal flows resume," it said.

Some countries have already taken measures to reduce energy use, especially those reliant on oil from the Middle East. The Indian government said in early March that non-domestic supplies from imported LPG were being prioritized for essential sectors.

The spike in crude has led to rising fuel costs for Americans. Although the US has not issued any guidance on how to lessen the impact, Business Insider's Sarah E. Needleman and Tim Paradis reported that some companies are allowing employees to work more from home.

• Nations across the world are taking steps to mitigate the impact of oil price spikes.
• These include flexible working arrangements and reducing non-essential journeys.
• Countries heavily reliant on Middle Eastern oil are particularly vulnerable to the war's impact.

Governments around the world are urging people to cut back on energy use amid surging oil prices.

Brent crude, the global benchmark, has climbed above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022 and has held there for nearly two weeks.

The spike follows violent attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the Iran war and strikes on gas-related infrastructure, raising fears of prolonged disruptions to a route that carries roughly 20% of the world's supply chain.

In response, countries are rolling out measures to conserve fuel and protect domestic supplies. Thailand, for example, has said it will halt fuel exports to maintain its own energy demands, while other countries are asking citizens to pare back their consumption.

Here are some of the steps governments and international organizations are telling people to take.

International Energy Agency

The International Energy Agency, one of the world's most important energy groups, has issued 10 measures it says governments, businesses, and consumers can take immediately to help ease the impact of disruptions in oil markets.

These include working from home, avoiding air travel, and encouraging the use of electric cooking equipment.

Other steps include reducing highway speed limits by at least six miles per hour, car sharing, cutting air travel, and using public transport more.

The IEA said in the report that "the demand-side measures highlighted in the report cannot match the scale of disrupted supply."

However, it said "they can play a meaningful role in lowering costs for consumers, reducing markets strains and preserving fuels for essential uses until normal flows resume."

Philippines

The Philippines has taken several measures in order to bring down energy use, including a four-day workweek for government staff and orders to cut the use of electricity and fuel costs in government agencies.

Government offices were told in early March to implement flexible working arrangements where practical, turn off lights and computers during lunch breaks, and adjust air conditioning unit thermostats to no lower than 75 degrees.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a video message that the four-day workweek would be temporary and does not include emergency services.

"With the expected global oil price increase, the government is preparing measures to reduce its impact on Filipino families," the Facebook caption for the video said.

The Philippines is vulnerable to disruptions caused by the conflict, as it "relies on the Middle East for almost 90% of its oil supply," according to ING Think.

On March 18, Marcos said that the country is seeking alternative sources of petroleum products and asked the public not to worry.

"We are trying to find different methods to provide subsidies to give assistance," said Marcos in a press address. "The problem is that oil prices are very volatile. We can't anticipate them. So we are still adjusting right now."

Australia

While no official rationing has been implemented in Australia, local media in at least two of the country's states reported that some fuel stations had begun limiting the amount of fuel customers can buy.

In comments to the media on Monday, March 9, Australia's energy minister Chris Bowen said that there is no shortage of fuel in Australia, but there are "some supply chain issues which are really being caused by a spike in demand of people seeking to buy extra diesel."

United Kingdom

The president of the AA, the UK's largest motoring organization, advised drivers on Monday, March 9, that although they "should not change their refuelling habits," they could "consider cutting out some non-essential journeys and changing their driving style to conserve fuel."

Edmund King, AA's president, added: "Any time Brent Crude passes 100 dollars per barrel raises concern across the markets, for the haulage industry and drivers.

"There will be gradual increases in pump prices, but this shouldn't happen overnight as fuel has been purchased at previous prices."

Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, said that the government would support citizens during the oil price spike.

"No matter the headwinds, supporting working people and their families with the cost of living is always top of my mind," he said.

Thailand

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul urged citizens not to stockpile fuel. His comments came after long lines formed at gas stations across the country last week.

In early March, Anutin and the country's energy minister gave assurances that the diesel price would be capped for at least 15 days. He said that the Commerce Ministry was closely monitoring oil prices to prevent customer exploitation.

"Stockpiling fuel is dangerous. If you store it at home, it could accidentally cause fire — it could lead to all sorts of problems," he said. "There is no need to do that today."

India

The Indian government invoked emergency powers on March 10 to divert liquefied petroleum gas supplies away from industrial users and toward households.

This was an expansion of previous measures. On March 9, India had ordered oil refineries to produce more LPG and said it was prioritizing that supply for households.

India's Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said in a tweet on Monday that non-domestic supplies from imported LPG were being prioritized for essential sectors, such as hospitals and educational institutions.

Vietnam

Vietnam has urged local businesses to encourage employees to work from home in order to save fuel.

This comes after the country said it would remove tariffs on fuel imports.

Pakistan

Pakistan has ordered measures to conserve fuel and reduce government spending, including implementing a four-day work week, having half of public sector employees work from home, and closing schools for two weeks.

Other measures include a pause on salaries for cabinet ministers and cutting government spending by 20%, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on March 10.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has made Wednesdays a public holiday to conserve fuel as the country braces for potential fuel shortages, according to the BBC.

"We must prepare for the worst, but hope for the best," President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said on March 9.

The shortened workweek will apply to schools and universities, but "essential" services like hospitals will keep the lights on.

Denmark

Denmark is urging citizens to reduce fuel.

"What the Danes should please, please, please do is that if there is any energy consumption that you can do without, if it is not strictly necessary to drive the car, then don't do it," Lars Aagaard, Denmark's energy and utilities minister, said during an interview with a local broadcaster on Wednesday.

"Firstly, it can be felt in the private wallet, and secondly, it can help stretch our reserves so that they last longer," Aagaard added.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh's university students just got an early start to their Ramadan holidays, thanks to fuel conservation measures.

The country announced by mid-March that main colleges could cancel classes until later in the month. The government has shut down campuses completely to save electricity and has started imposing temporary blackouts for other facilities.

Egypt

Egypt is enforcing some lifestyle changes to conserve gas and oil.

For a country that is used to shopping and dining well into the night, malls, restaurants, and retailers are being asked to shut down at 9 p.m. on weekdays starting on March 28.

The country also announced plans to turn off illuminated billboards and reduce public lighting, and to close government buildings by 6 p.m.

Spain

Spain's government has approved a $5.8 billion aid package to ease the economic effects of the war in the Middle East, Bloomberg reported.

The plan includes reducing VAT on electricity and gas from 21% to 10%, slashing the special electricity tax from 5% to 0.5%, and suspending the tax on electricity production, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said.

A subsidy of 20 cents per liter of fuel is being introduced for transport operators, farmers, and fishmongers, while the government will cover 80% of the electricity-grid charges for energy-intensive industries.