Rita Edited, co-founded by Jade Barber and Aleisha Roulston, curates 120 artisanal New Zealand makers onto one beautiful site.
Imagine a website bringing together artisanal makers from across New Zealand, presenting them in their best light through beautiful photography and design. An online marketplace where you could browse categories such
This week that concept has come to fruition with the launch of Rita Edited, a new online buy-sell marketplace that heroes the best of New Zealand’s small-scale artists, producers and designers, aimed at the conscious consumer.
Co-founded by Hawke’s Bay-based friends Jade Barber (Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngāti Kahungunu, Tainui) and Aleisha Roulston, Rita Edited launches with 120 hand-selected New Zealand makers across nine collections, including fashion, jewellery, pantry, lifestyle, beauty, art and home, and a Pahiki Māori collection dedicated to highlighting Māori businesses.
The idea for Rita Edited was inspired by Aleisha’s time running Wonder Markets in Hastings, which brings together local makers and crafters, as well as food trucks and music, in a vibrant monthly outdoor market.
“It was there I was having conversations with stall holders and sellers and understanding their struggles being found, having their own websites, or struggling with sales. They’d come to Wonder Markets for the day and it’d be amazing and they’d have all these great conversations and make money. But it was one day. I felt there had to be a better way.”
Aleisha approached Jade, who was just finishing her master’s on technological futures at AcadamyEX in Auckland, with an idea for an online marketplace that would platform these makers, allowing them to be found “24 hours a day, seven days a week”.
Having “just spent the last 18 months studying emerging and disruptive technologies and the intersection between business or society”, Jade thought the timing was perfect for the pair to delve into a project together.
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Advertise with NZME.Aleisha has a background in events, brand management, start-ups and marketing, and Jade has experience with business management and consulting, with the friends originally meeting through roles in the wedding industry in Melbourne. Their skills are complementary, they say, with Aleisha working on the look and feel, design and communications and Jade on numbers and logistics.
To get the idea off the ground, they spent many hours researching and speaking to experts in the online marketplace field, as well as meeting with a business coach. The site and backend of Rita Edited were designed by a Canada-based developer, which works on similar marketplaces in Europe and America, for a product they feel is world-class.
To source the 120 local makers launching on Rita Edited, the pair trawled Instagram, inviting candidates to sell on Rita Edited via an application process that ensured they met certain criteria, including that products are made or developed and designed in New Zealand.
They were looking for high-quality products, but also “passion-led” makers that are dedicated to their craft. “The story and magic behind the products is really important to us,” says Jade. “A narrative connects buyers to more than just a product. It’s connecting them to the why of those products.”
The uptake among makers from Kerikeri to Rakiura Stewart Island has been “amazing”, with 70% saying yes. “That was really early validation to say that we were solving a problem for these producers of small-scale products,” says Jade. Makers on Rita Edited pay an annual membership fee to list their products on the site, with a commission of 10.5%. In return, they get exposure and sales on an easy-to-use platform, and support from the Rita team and brand.
“With international platforms like Etsy, local producers with high-quality products tend to get lost among the drop-shippers and vintage resellers. The Rita Edited Marketplace will be another sales tool for these producers, assisting with online visibility and a connection to a curated community of New Zealand makers,” says Aleisha.
That community aspect is important, says Jade. “Lots of these businesses are single-owned; people grafting in the background who don’t necessarily have a team. A connection to other small businesses and feeling like they’re part of a community is something we want to foster as well.”
On the site you’ll find producers such as handmade knife brand Nuz, founded in 2019 by Madison Baker, inspired by her dad’s hunting and fishing knife brand Svord. Nuz knives are made in Waiuku, Auckland, from sustainable FSC-certified timber and recycled saw blades. Made for chopping and slicing, they’re also made to last.
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Advertise with NZME.Amelia Fagence is another Rita Edited artist, designer and maker who creates sculpture and furniture pieces from fallen trees, such as the Equilibrium Day Bed, made from Nelson elm topped with squabs covered in fabric by Mokum Textiles. Her organic, sculptural U-Bench is also made from Nelson-grown elm with the swirling woodgrain visible in all its glory.
Josephine is a contemporary womenswear brand from Lucy Maxwell designed with a brand ethos of “sophistication with a touch of quirk”. After working for Zimmerman, Sass & Bide and Karen Walker, Lucy has recently gone out on her own with Josephine, with her most recent collection inspired by her childhood in Hokianga.
In the jewellery category, Laurel Hilton of Good Gold is celebrated for her ethical gold-sourcing practices and made-to-order designs created in her family workshop.
The Pakihi Māori collection celebrates Māori-owned makers such as jewellery designer Jenna Love and wellbeing resource Thirty One Days, something that was “really important” for Jade and Aleisha. “Right from the outset with Rita, we wanted to ensure that we were highlighting and valuing the amazing Māori businesses that we have here in New Zealand,” says Jade. “So that’s a really special collection on Rita Edited and the only collection when you shop it, it will be by business, not by product.”
They’re also working on bilingual search capabilities that will allow customers to search for products in te reo Māori. “We’re just really proud that we are giving it a go to really celebrate and highlight the Māori language in New Zealand,” says Jade.
Rita Edited is not the first online marketplace in New Zealand, but it is the most curated, says Jade. “We are a highly curated marketplace for goods produced, made or with a significant amount of design work by someone in New Zealand. That’s what sets us apart.
“We’re not looking to replace bricks-and-mortar boutiques, physical markets or other buy-sell marketplaces. Rita Edited is simply another tool for makers and artists to use to get exposure, and for customers to source beautiful new locally made or designed pieces to enrich their lives.”
Adds Aleisha: “We’re the cheerleaders lifting these businesses.”
Rita Edited launches on Wednesday, August 21. Visit Ritaedited.co.nz.
