Terms & Conditions
THE GENTLE ART COMPANY
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Last updated: September 2026
Welcome to The Gentle Art Company.
These Terms & Conditions explain how our website and products work. We’ve tried to keep them clear, because nobody enjoys wading through pages of legal twaddle.
By using our website or purchasing from us, you agree to these Terms & Conditions. They apply alongside our Privacy Policy and Refund & Returns Policy.
Nothing in these Terms & Conditions limits or excludes any rights you have under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993, the Fair Trading Act 1986, the Privacy Act 2020, or any other law that applies to your purchase.
1. ABOUT US
The Gentle Art Company is an Aotearoa, New Zealand creative business run by Caro Aldridge. If you have any questions about these Terms & Conditions, a purchase, or anything else, please contact us:
Email: hello@thegentleartcompany.nz
2. USING OUR WEBSITE
You’re welcome to explore, browse, shop and generally have a good rummage around our website.Pl ease use the website lawfully and respectfully. We do our best to ensure the information on our website is accurate and up to date, but occasionally things may change, sell out or contain an honest human error. Where we become aware of an error, we’ll do our best to correct it promptly.
3. OUR PRODUCTS
Many of our products are handmade, one-of-a-kind, vintage, rescued or made using pre-loved materials. Because of this, individual pieces may have natural variations, marks, signs of age or other characteristics that form part of their history and character. We’ll make known characteristics clear in the product description wherever possible. Slight variations from photographs may also occur, particularly where vintage materials are involved. We aim to match the displayed item as closely as possible, but exact matching is not always possible. These characteristics or variations are not considered faults where they have been clearly described before purchase.
We will always make reasonable efforts to ensure product descriptions, photographs and measurements are accurate. Your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 still apply.
4. PRICES
All prices are displayed in New Zealand dollars (NZD) unless stated otherwise.
Delivery charges, where applicable, will be shown before you complete your purchase. We reserve the right to correct genuine pricing or description errors. If an error affects an order you have placed, we’ll contact you and explain the options available to you.
5. ORDERS
When you place an order through our website, you are making an offer to purchase the selected products. We’ll send you an order confirmation once your order has been received. Your order is accepted when we confirm it and payment has been successfully processed. If we are unable to fulfil an order for any reason, we’ll contact you as soon as reasonably possible and arrange a refund of any payment made for the affected order.
6. PAYMENT
Payments made through our website are processed securely by Swipe. You agree that the payment information you provide is accurate and that you are authorised to use the payment method provided. We do not knowingly accept fraudulent transactions. Where appropriate, transactions may be subject to security or fraud checks. Our handling of personal and payment-related information is explained in our Privacy Policy.
7. GIFT CARDS
Our Gift cards are valid for 36 months from the date of purchase. They can be used towards eligible purchases from The Gentle Art Company and cannot be exchanged for cash. Gift cards are non-refundable, except where required by law.
8. GIFT WRAPPING
You can choose gift wrapping for each item that you'd like wrapped. Please choose "Gift Wrapping" option, as a separate product. Buying a few lovely things? Increase the quantity to match the number of items you'd like wrapped.
9. DELIVERY
Delivery costs and available options will be shown at checkout. Please make sure your delivery details are accurate before completing your order. We cannot be responsible for delays or failed delivery caused by incorrect or incomplete information supplied by you. We’ll do our best to meet stated delivery timeframes, but delivery times can sometimes be affected by circumstances outside our control.
If your order arrives damaged, is missing, or does not arrive within a reasonable timeframe, please contact us so we can investigate. Where the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 applies, your statutory rights remain unaffected.
10. VINTAGE, PRE-LOVED & HANDMADE ITEMS
We love things with a history. Many of our materials have already lived a long full life before they arrive here. Small marks, variations, signs of age and imperfections may therefore be part of the item and its story. Where these characteristics are known, we’ll describe them as clearly as possible before you purchase. Please see our Refund & Returns Policy for more information about faults, damage, returns and your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act.
11. WORKSHOPS & CREATIVE SERVICES
Places at workshops and creative experiences are subject to availability. When booking, please provide accurate contact information and let us know about any accessibility requirements, allergies or other relevant considerations that may affect your participation. Our workshop space is a private home and is not wheelchair accessible. If you have any accessibility requirements or are unsure whether the space will work for you, please get in touch before booking. We’re happy to discuss your needs. Workshop materials and activities will be described as clearly as reasonably possible. Our workshop cancellation and refund terms are set out in our Refund & Policy. Nothing in these Terms & Conditions limits your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 where it applies to our services.
12. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
The content on this website — including photographs, writing, graphics, logos, video’s, designs and other original material — belongs to The Gentle Art Company or is used with permission. You’re welcome to enjoy, share and admire our work.
Please don’t copy, reproduce, modify, distribute or commercially use our content or designs without our written permission.
13. COMMISSIONED & MADE-TO-ORDER WORK
We love making things especially for people. Commissions and made-to-order pieces are welcome where our time, materials and creative capacity allow. Every commission is a little different, so the process, price and timeframe will depend on what you’re asking us to create.
How it works
Before we begin, we’ll agree the important details of your commission, which may include:
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what we’re making
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materials, colours or other preferences
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approximate size or specifications
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the agreed price
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payment requirements
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estimated timeframe
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any other details relevant to your particular piece
Our price and timeframe will be based on what we understand you’re asking us to create at the time the commission is agreed. If the brief changes, you ask for additional work, or the scope of the commission changes substantially once we’ve begun, we’ll talk to you about any resulting changes to the price or timeframe before carrying out additional work.
Payment
All commissioned work requires full payment upfront, before we begin creating your vision. Because commissioned pieces are made specifically for you, your payment covers the planning, preparation, materials and creative work involved in making your piece. If you cancel after work has commenced or materials have been purchased specifically for your commission, we may retain an amount reasonably reflecting the work already completed, materials purchased and other costs we have incurred in relation to your commission. If there is any remaining balance after those costs have been accounted for, it will be refunded to you.
Nothing in this section limits or excludes your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or any other applicable New Zealand law.
Vintage, rescued & one-of-a-kind materials
A lot of what we make begins with something that already exists — vintage fabric, rescued textiles, pre-loved materials, old buttons, trims, found objects and other curious treasures. That means we can’t always promise that a particular material will still be available when it’s time to make your piece. If something significant from the original brief becomes unavailable, we’ll talk to you about suitable alternatives before proceeding.
Small variations, imperfections and signs of previous life may also be part of the finished piece. That’s the nature of working with vintage, rescued and handmade materials, and often exactly what makes the piece special.
Supplying your own materials
If you’d like us to incorporate your own fabric, clothing, textiles, keepsakes or other materials into a commission, please talk to us before sending anything. We’ll let you know whether we think the material is suitable for the proposed work. We’ll take reasonable care of materials you provide, but vintage, fragile, worn or otherwise delicate materials can carry their own risks. Their condition, age, previous use or suitability for the proposed work may affect the finished result. If something is particularly precious or irreplaceable, please tell us before sending it. We may recommend a different approach; or, occasionally, suggest that we admire it safely from a distance.
Changes, approvals & creative direction
Commissions are a collaboration, but once we’ve agreed the brief, we need enough creative freedom to actually make the thing. If your commission requires your approval before we proceed to a particular stage, we’ll make that clear. If you request significant changes after the commission has been agreed or work has begun, those changes may affect the price and timeframe. We’ll discuss this with you before carrying out additional work. Please understand that handmade work may not look exactly like a sketch, photograph, sample or reference image. Where the brief allows for creative interpretation, the finished piece may have its own little personality.
If you change your mind
We understand. Sometimes an idea that felt marvellous on Tuesday feels entirely different by Friday. If you change your mind about a commission, please tell us as soon as possible. We’ll look at where the commission is up to and what costs have already been incurred, including materials purchased specifically for your piece and work already completed. We’ll then work out the fairest way forward in the circumstances. If the commission has not yet begun and no materials have been purchased specifically for it, there may be more flexibility to cancel and receive a full refund.
Once work has commenced or materials have been purchased specifically for your commission, a full refund may not be possible. Nothing in this section limits or excludes any rights you may have under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or any other applicable New Zealand law.
When your commission is finished
When your piece is ready, we’ll let you know and arrange delivery, collection or another agreed method of getting your treasure to you. Because each piece is handmade, and because we often work with vintage, rescued and one-of-a-kind materials, there may be small variations from the original reference, sketch or conversation. These are not necessarily faults and are often part of the nature of the work. We want you to be delighted with what we make together.
If your finished piece is materially different from what we agreed, or you believe something isn’t right, please get in touch so we can look at it with you. Nothing in this section limits or excludes your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or any other applicable New Zealand law.
14. PHOTOGRAPHY & FILMING
We love capturing the creative process and finished work at our workshops, and may take photographs or short videos for use on The Gentle Art Company’s website, social media and other promotional materials. If you do not wish to be photographed or filmed, please let us know before the workshop begins. We will respect your wishes and will not intentionally photograph or film you. We also ask that participants respect the privacy of others and do not photograph or film another participant without their permission.
15. CONTENT YOU SEND US
If you send us photographs, comments, ideas or other content, you remain the owner of that content. We won’t assume permission to publicly use your content simply because you have sent it to us. If we would like to use something you have shared, we’ll ask for your permission where appropriate.
16. LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES
Our website may occasionally contain links to other websites or services.
We provide these links for convenience and do not control or take responsibility for the content, availability or privacy practices of external websites. We encourage you to read the terms and privacy policies of any external website you visit.
17. WEBSITE AVAILABILITY
We do our best to keep our website available and working properly, but sometimes technology has a little tantrum. We cannot guarantee that the website will always be available, uninterrupted or completely error-free. We may temporarily suspend or change parts of the website for maintenance, updates or other reasonable purposes.
18. OUR LIABILITY
Nothing in these Terms & Conditions excludes, restricts or modifies any liability or consumer right that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under New Zealand law.
Where the law permits limitations of liability, we will only limit our liability to the extent reasonably permitted by law. Nothing in these Terms & Conditions limits liability for fraud, deliberate misconduct, or any other liability that cannot legally be excluded.
19. PRIVACY
We take your privacy seriously. Our Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, who we may share it with, and your rights under the Privacy Act 2020.
20. REFUNDS & RETURNS
Our Refund & Returns Policy explains how we handle change-of-mind returns, faulty or damaged items, incorrect orders, workshops and Ministry subscriptions.
Nothing in that policy or these Terms & Conditions limits your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993.
21. CHANGES TO THESE TERMS
We may update these Terms & Conditions from time to time as our business, website or services change. The most current version will be published on our website with the date it was last updated. Changes will not remove or reduce rights you already have under New Zealand law or retrospectively change the terms of a purchase you have already made, unless required or permitted by law.
22. NEW ZEALAND LAW
These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of New Zealand. Any dispute will be dealt with under the applicable laws and courts of New Zealand.
23. QUESTIONS, CONCERNS OR SOMETHING HAS GONE A BIT WONKY?
We’re a small business run by actual humans, so if something doesn’t look right, please talk to us.
We’d much rather hear from you and work out what’s happened than have you feeling upset.
The Gentle Art Company
Caro Aldridge
hello@thegentleartcompany.nz
We’re always happy to help where we can.
Thank you for being here. We’re so glad you are.