BUSINESS FOR GOOD
With a current emphasis on New Zealanders supporting local business, and ‘backing our backyards’, one social enterprise has been quietly and confidently forging ahead with this ethos for close to 14 years.
Felt is New Zealand’s online market for locally made goods and gifts. Consider it your one-stop-shop for high quality, original items made right here, in Aotearoa. It’s owned and operated by four Kiwi makers who believe that promoting craftsmanship and supporting small business are key parts of creating more sustainable lifestyles.
Felt was founded in the mid-2000s by Cantabrian Lucy Arnold, after successfully selling handmade merino arm warmers online as a hobby. It now offers a platform for thousands of makers nationwide, selling anything from art and jewellery to homewares, childrenswear, and toys.
Utilising the platform, sellers independently list their goods for sale, meaning everything that you see on Felt has been listed by the person (or people) who made it. Felt supports these makers and designers to showcase and sell their wares for a fair price, and through Felt, as a customer, you buy directly from the maker, actively supporting the livelihoods of local creative people.
Felt has stayed true to its humble beginnings, and despite its impressive numbers, has flown largely under the mainstream radar until now. When a pair of earrings made from upcycled bicycle tyre inner tubes by Felt seller Re:purpose appeared on the ears of our very own Prime Minister during several press briefings this year, the impact was, well, felt.
Add to this a highly responsive base of makers who were able to turn their skills to mask production when the need arose, and Felt is now considered an online shopping destination by a whole new audience in 2020.
The movement of supporting local and local sustainability is clearly growing, and Felt is proudly placed at the helm.