By Kite Pareti
The Projects Collective recently opened a new store on Narewa Road, on the way to Denarau.
Joining the original outlet at The Beachouse on the Coral Coast, it’s a lovely cool space full of delicate jewellery by makers such as Fonu and Hanalei, the striking textiles of Rise Beyond the Reef, and luxury food items such as South Seas Salts’ flavoured salts and Fiji Bongo Chilli Sauce.
There’s also loads of surf accessories, beachwear, The Projects Collective-branded t-shirts and caps, beauty products, fans and fancy sasas (brooms), kids’ books and a small selection of baskets and perfumes from Vanuatu.
While the Nadi store is a sleek space, the original store is a larger, more rustic space at The Beachouse, a popular retreat on Fiji’s Coral Coast. It features the same wide range product range, plus a veranda for lounging with a coffee or cocktail. You can also get a coffee, made from Bula Coffee beans, at the Nadi store.
Founder Laura Cahir has previously worked with international brands and realised “there was a huge gap in the market for local brands to be displayed for an international market and level of shopper.”
And how does she find these brands? “I look far and wide on social media, in markets, I do a lot of touring of Suva and Nadi and other local areas to try and find artisans’ products to display and retail in store.”
Many of the products she stocks are made by the hands of women, and Cahir says it shows the resilience many women demonstrated, especially through COVID.
The Projects Collective is open every Mondays to Sundays from 8am to 5pm.
