This year’s Grammy Awards were filled with standout performances, emotional speeches, and unique fashion choices, but one traditional element was missing: the gift bag.
This is a significant change from the previous year when Distinctive Assets, a Los Angeles-based marketing firm, created an extensive gift bag valued at $36,000.
The 2024 Grammy gift bags were distributed to presenters and performers such as Olivia Rodrigo, Billy Joel, and Billie Eilish. The bags included a variety of items, from a robotic pool cleaner to noise-canceling headphones.
The priciest item in last year’s bag was a private show by mentalist Carl Christman, worth $25,000, as reported by CNBC.com.
This year’s attendees, however, received no such gifts. It might come off as surprising, but there’s a compelling reason behind this change.
Distinctive Assets has transformed their traditional awards season gift bags into specially curated care packages meant for local residents who lost their homes to wildfires that swept through Los Angeles.
Lash Fary, the founder of Distinctive Assets, explained: “As I looked at the products we had gathered for our first big event of 2025, I realized what a wonderful care package they would make.”
A note included in the care packages states: “Inside this care package, you’ll find items chosen with love and hope for brighter days ahead. Stay strong and let this small gesture remind you of the kindness and support surrounding you.”
Similar to previous gift bags, the care packages contain a mix of practical and luxurious items, including a complimentary three-month disaster recovery membership from Bright Harbor. This service aids survivors in managing insurance claims, government benefits, and selecting vendors for remediation.
Throughout the 2025 awards season, the partnership between Distinctive Assets and Bright Harbor will result in over $1 million in disaster recovery services donated to victims of the LA fires.
The care packages also feature products from brands like L’Oréal Paris, ABLE Clothing, Dave’s Killer Bread, Frontera Wine, MOFT (Mobile Office for Travelers), PETA, and Pets Are Family by Erika Sinner.
The recent Eaton and Palisades fires were among the most devastating in Los Angeles, claiming 29 lives and damaging or destroying nearly 16,000 structures across an area larger than Paris.