NOVICA Review

I am a huge supporter of fair trade products. When I purchase fair trade products, I know that the people producing them not only received a fair wage for their work, but were also working in safe conditions. I feel that fair trade could have an important impact on global poverty, so it’s an important cause to me. It is a small, but growing market, so thus far my biggest foray into fair trade purchases has been pretty much limited to the coffee I get at the grocery store. That’s why I was pleased to learn about NOVICA, an online boutique that works with National Geographic to showcase fair trade products from artisans around the world. NOVICA offered me a gift certificate to pick out some items from their shop and share my thoughts with you, and I had a blast perusing the gorgeous items!

NOVICA carries a wide variety of handcrafted products, from home decor to corporate gifts and sterling silver jewelry, including bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. I was spoilt for choice, but finally settled on a blanket and a tray.

The blanket which I picked out was this gorgeous wool and silk throw blanket, ‘Tropical Rose’. Obviously, I loved the color, and I was glad to have another blanket on hand – you can never have too many blankets, especially when you have company staying with you. At the bottom of the product page, there is a profile of the person who crafted the item you are viewing. This throw was made by artisan Khitish in India – you can read her full biography by clicking here.

The blanket is lovely – the pretty packaging it came in was a very nice touch. As you can see, it matches my decor perfectly! I really appreciate the craftsmanship and work that went into making this – especially since I don’t have to wonder if it was created in a sweatshop.

I also got this ‘Spanish Ivy’ tooled leather tray, because I was just thinking how I needed to buy a serving tray. This is perfect for entertaining and will give me an elegant way to serve tea, coffee, or snacks to my guests. I was very impressed when it arrived – look at the beautiful, intricate detail that is tooled into the leather. This is a gorgeous tray, and I am so pleased to have such a nice piece.

This tray was created by the Rios family in Peru, whose leather working business has continued through the generations – click here to see photos and read their story.

My favorite part about NOVICA is that you know exactly who you are purchasing each item from – this puts a human face to the concept of fair trade, and makes it feel “real” to the customer. The testimonials from artisans on their website are extremely powerful. They also offer microfinance loans to artisans thorough the website, in a similar fashion to Kiva.

However, I wish they provided more details about the financial setup of NOVICA. They state that there is no fee for artisans to list their products, but I presume NOVICA would have to add something to the original price in order to cover their overhead, so I’m curious as to how their pricing structure is set up. I think it would also be a great idea for NOVICA to become Fair Trade Certified, since that is the standard of excellence for fair trade goods and would provide an automatic answer to questions about the compensation of the artisans, as fair trade certified vendors are required to adhere to strict guidelines. The microfinance section does not provide as much information as Kiva does regarding the loan process, and I think that would be another good area for them to elaborate on as well. I do not doubt that NOVICA is a great company – rather, I am making these suggestions because I think they would gain more customers and support this way. Fair trade products are a win for both merchants and consumers alike!