The co-founder of the company that’s famous for providing luxurious gift bags to Grammy attendees recently shared a powerful reason for not following their usual tradition this year.
Instead of showering celebrities with extravagant swag, they chose to do something different—something meaningful. This year, they focused on giving back to people who desperately needed help: the survivors of the devastating wildfires in California.
Hollywood’s award season is known for its dazzling gift bags filled with expensive, high-end items that A-list stars love to show off. But this year, Distinctive Assets, the well-known celebrity gifting company, took a different approach.
They decided to skip the lavish gifts and instead focus on providing support to those who had lost everything in the fires.
Lash Fary, the co-founder of Distinctive Assets, explained why they made this shift. Rather than handing out the usual luxury products, the company put together care packages meant to help wildfire victims.
The contents weren’t just thrown together—they were carefully selected to provide comfort and some relief to people struggling to cope with the aftermath of the fires.
These care packages included things like skincare products, eyewear, and portable Bluetooth speakers—simple things that could make survivors feel a little more at ease during such a challenging time.
Lash, who himself was in a safe area unaffected by the fires but knew friends who were directly impacted, talked about his initial thoughts on this change during an online interview with a news correspondent from Wish-TV.
He reflected on how he started to see the Grammy gift items as something that could serve a bigger purpose. “There’s bound to be one or two items in here that would make good care packages, and as it turned out like, literally everything in here would make a great care package,” Lash said, smiling.
He continued, “So, we just kind of converted them and decided, ‘You know what, if everyone at the Grammys is gonna be having Frontera wine while they’re celebrating their win, so can we provide that to folks who might need to day drink with all that they’ve had going on.’”
But not everyone agreed with the idea of including certain items in the care packages. Lash had a thoughtful answer for any critics.
“No one who’s been through a disaster would ever have that reaction because for any of us who’ve experienced something tragic, really it’s about something that’s a distraction, it’s about something that makes you forget, even if for a moment,” he said.
His words were a reminder that even small comforts can offer a little escape from overwhelming stress.
Lash also spoke about Distinctive Assets’ partnership with Bright Harbor, a group that offers disaster recovery support. Together, they planned to donate over $1 million worth of disaster recovery services to wildfire victims throughout the award season.
Lash was proud of the impact their efforts would have, knowing that they were helping people in a very real way.
He shared that making the shift from celebrity gift bags to care packages was surprisingly easy. “It was remarkably easy and in fact, that’s sort of always been the through line for our gift bags,” he explained.
“Even with what we give talent, all the items that are in these care packages are the same items we are going to be giving to Oscar nominees in a few weeks.”
As much as Lash and his team were proud of their change in focus, they also plan to return to the traditional high-end gifting at the Oscars. But the impact of this year’s decision—putting people first during a time of crisis—was something that couldn’t be ignored.
It showed that giving back, in any way, can make a big difference in the lives of others.
Lash Fary is no stranger to the world of celebrity gifting. Known as the “Gift Guru” and “Sultan of Swag,” he’s built an empire around pairing Hollywood stars with luxury brands.
His work has changed the way brands think about product placement, turning it into a marketing phenomenon that’s taken Hollywood by storm.
Lash has been behind the scenes at major events like the Grammys, the Latin Grammys, the Tony Awards, the American Music Awards, and the BET Awards, creating some of the most talked-about gift bags in showbiz history.
What began as an innovative idea has now become an industry standard, with media buzz following every move. Lash’s influence has made him a tastemaker, someone who knows exactly how to elevate a brand while making it desirable to the hottest stars.
It’s not just about giving away products—it’s about creating experiences that become part of the Hollywood tradition.
But despite all of this glitz and glamour, Lash remains grounded. Reflecting on last year’s Grammy gift bags, he compared them to the simpler, more meaningful approach of this year.
In 2024, Distinctive Assets delivered an incredible $36,000 worth of luxury products to the performers and presenters at the Grammys. The 2024 Grammy bags contained nearly 60 premium items, ranging from expensive beauty products and high-tech gadgets to unique experiences.
Some of the standout gifts were a private performance by a renowned mentalist, worth $25,000, and a $299 smart bird feeder that doubled as a digital postcard sender. The bags also included a $699 robotic pool cleaner, noise-canceling Dyson headphones, and even organic pet food for celebrities’ furry friends.
Stars like Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, Billy Joel, and Lenny Kravitz all received these lavish gift bags. But for the recipients, there was a reminder that high-value items, like a private performance, could come with significant tax implications—things that had to be considered carefully.
Even though trends in Hollywood are always changing, Lash believes that some things stay the same. The core of award shows, he says, remains unchanged.
“Even with the shifts in pop culture, award shows are still pretty much the same,” he said in a 2019 interview, pointing out that the Grammy’s structure has stayed intact over the years.
He also remembered how his company helped shape the future of celebrity gifting, recalling when Distinctive Assets first introduced tech gadgets to the Grammy gift bags.
One of the company’s earliest partnerships was with Apple, when they gave out iPods to Grammy performers—a move that was revolutionary at the time. He also recalled introducing Keurig coffee pods to the Grammy crowd when single-serve brewing systems were still a novelty.
“People thought it was crazy,” Lash said with a laugh. “But now, look at Keurig. It’s everywhere.”
For Lash, whether he’s putting together a deluxe swag bag or a care package for wildfire survivors, the mission is the same: to create something memorable and meaningful. As the “Sultan of Swag” continues to redefine what it means to give, one thing is clear—generosity never goes out of style.
