Frequently Asked Questions

Noonday Collection is a member of the Fair Trade Federation. We follow the principles of fair trade in how we do business. We also require the Artisan Businesses from which we source products to follow the principles of fair trade in how they do business. Many of our suppliers are members of the Fair Trade Federation, World Fair Trade Organization, or other fair trade membership organizations. We regularly visit these businesses to ensure they are meeting these standards, including paying fair wages, providing safe and healthy working conditions, and prohibiting child and forced labor. Visit the Fair Trade Federation website.

We develop Artisan Businesses through fair trade. To empower Artisan Businesses to grow sustainably, we focus on collaborative design, capacity building, responsible financing and long-term partnership.

We design our collection in collaboration with talented Artisans around the world. We offer no-interest loans and advance payments that provide Artisan Businesses with the cash flow they need to grow sustainably.

We are committed to helping Artisan Businesses grow, investing to develop their capacity through design, operations and production training. We equip entrepreneurs to impact their communities by tailoring training to their unique strengths and challenges.

We build business partnerships based on mutual accountability, respect and trust. We strive to make a long-term commitment to Artisan Entrepreneurs, empowering them to earn a sustainable income and create dignified jobs in their communities.

We travel the world to identify Artisan Entrepreneurs who are passionate about making a difference in their communities. We intentionally look for partners with whom we can make an impact in communities where people are vulnerable because of poverty or injustice.

We do not set Artisan wages; rather, we collaborate with Artisan Business owners to set prices that allow them to grow sustainably and the Artisans to earn reliable incomes. We ensure that Artisans earn wages that are fair based on the cost of living in their country.

What people want most in the world is the opportunity to flourish – not with a handout, but by using their own hands. While everybody wants a good job, few people in the developing world have opportunities for dignified work. We believe that creating dignified jobs in vulnerable communities is a powerful way to alleviate poverty.

We partner with Artisan Entrepreneurs who are committed to creating a supportive work environment where Artisans are respected and have a voice. We also require Artisan Businesses to pay fair wages, provide safe and healthy working conditions, and prohibit child and forced labor.

More than 2 billion people worldwide live on less than $1 a day – and the world's poor are vulnerable to injustice. To have a path out of poverty, people need good jobs where they can earn reliable incomes to provide for their families. We work in communities where people are vulnerable for many different reasons, including poverty, discrimination, trafficking, HIV/AIDS and violence. We make an impact in vulnerable communities by partnering with Artisan Businesses to create dignified jobs.

We believe that part of what makes a product beautiful is how it's made. Our creative team based in Austin, Texas travels globally to design products in collaboration with talented Artisans. All of our products are handmade by Artisans around the world. Many Artisans use traditional skills that have been passed down through generations to create modern designs. We are committed to full transparency regarding how our jewelry and accessories are sourced.

Yes, we are committed to transparent and responsible sourcing. Many of our products are made by hand without the use of electricity or fuel. Hand skills like weaving, embroidery and knitting are eco-friendly.

Some of our products are made with natural materials including wood, stones, seeds, alpaca wool, cotton, silk, horn and bone. Where possible, we use natural dyes, vegetable tanned leather, and ethically sourced silk, horn and bone.

Our metal jewelry from Haiti and Ethiopia is made with upcycled metals. Some of our paper bead jewelry from Uganda is made with recycled paper. The glass beads in our jewelry made in India are created by hand using 30% recycled glass.

We believe business can change the world. Our business model focuses on empowering Artisan Businesses to grow sustainably and create dignified jobs in vulnerable communities.

Instead of simply donating to vulnerable communities, we partner with artisan entrepreneurs to make a lasting impact. We create a growing market for artisan products through Trunk Shows and connect Artisan Businesses to this market. By developing Artisan Businesses through fair trade, we empower them to employ more people in their communities.

We believe that every child deserves to grow up in a loving family. In the developing world, it is all too common for families to be split apart by poverty. By partnering with Artisan Businesses to create dignified jobs, we enable families to earn sustainable incomes. This strengthens vulnerable families and prevents children from being orphaned or abandoned.

The first Noonday Collection Trunk Show was a fundraiser for Founder Jessica Honegger's adoption from Rwanda. Adoption is in our DNA as a company and we love celebrating and supporting adoptive families. We donate 10% of sales at Adoption Trunk Shows to raise funds for families' qualifying adoption expenses.

The "Noonday" comes from Isaiah 58:10: "If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday."

When Jessica Honegger founded Noonday Collection, she dreamed of a growing business that would use fashion to create economic opportunity in the world's most vulnerable communities. The name reflects Jessica's commitment to building a business that brings these words from Isaiah to life.

We invite people across the United States to become Ambassadors who launch Noonday Collection businesses in their communities. Ambassadors have an opportunity to earn an income, become leaders, join a meaningful community and make an impact.

Ambassadors are social entrepreneurs and business owners who sell jewelry and accessories through Trunk Shows and personalized ecommerce websites. By creating a marketplace for Artisan Businesses, Ambassadors create opportunity in vulnerable communities around the world.

Ambassadors earn a percentage commission (25-42%) on sales at Trunk Shows and on their personalized ecommerce websites. We also offer Ambassadors an opportunity to become Coaches – leaders who recruit, mentor and motivate other Ambassadors.

Learn more about becoming an Ambassador.

To create a marketplace for our Artisan Partners, Noonday Ambassadors partner with local Hostesses in their communities to hold Trunk Shows. Trunk Shows are fun gatherings where women come together for personal styling, shopping, and Artisan storytelling. Anyone can host a Trunk Show!

Learn more about becoming a Noonday Hostess.