1. Introduction
SimiTeds ("we", "us", "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website simiteds.com and use our services, including ordering bespoke garments, booking consultations, purchasing gift cards, subscribing to our newsletter, and contacting us.
We are a Nigerian fashion brand operating from Nigeria. We comply with the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) and other applicable data protection laws. Please read this policy carefully to understand our practices regarding your personal data.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
We collect the following categories of personal data when you use our platform:
- Account Information - your full name, email address, phone number, and a securely hashed password when you register an account.
- Delivery Addresses - street address, city, state, country, and phone number for shipping your orders.
- Order Information - product selections, fabric and colour choices, size selections (standard XS–3XL), custom body measurements (chest, waist, shoulder width, arm length, torso length, hip, inseam, etc.), and styling notes or personalisation instructions you provide.
- Payment Information - we do not store credit or debit card numbers. All payments are processed securely by Paystack, our payment gateway partner. We may store a record of your transaction reference, payment status, and the last four digits of your card for order reconciliation.
- Contact Form Messages - your name, email address, subject, and message when you contact us.
- Newsletter Subscriptions - your email address and the date/time you subscribed (or unsubscribed).
- Booking Information - your name, email address, phone number, and preferred consultation dates/times when you book a consultation.
- Gift Card Information - recipient name and email, sender name, personalised message, and gift card transaction details.
- Product Ratings & Reviews - ratings and written reviews you submit about products you have purchased.
- Wishlist - products you save to your wishlist.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
- Usage Data - pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URL, browser type and version, device type, operating system, and IP address. This helps us improve our website and understand how customers interact with our catalogue.
- Cookies and Similar Technologies - we use essential session cookies to keep you logged in and maintain your shopping cart. We also use functionality cookies to remember your preferences. See Section 10 for more details.
2.3 Sensitive Personal Data
Custom body measurements (e.g., chest, waist, shoulder width) that you voluntarily provide for bespoke garment production are considered personal data. We only collect and process these measurements to fulfil your order. We do not use them for any other purpose and will delete them upon your request, subject to legal retention requirements.
3. How We Collect Your Data
We collect your personal data through the following interactions:
- When you create an account on our website
- When you place an order for a product
- When you submit custom measurements or styling notes
- When you sign up for our newsletter
- When you fill in the contact us form
- When you book a consultation
- When you purchase or redeem a gift card
- When you submit a product rating or review
- When you add items to your wishlist
- When you browse or interact with our website (via cookies and server logs)
- When you communicate with us via email, phone, or WhatsApp
4. Legal Basis for Processing (NDPR)
Under the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation, we rely on the following legal bases to process your personal data:
- Consent - we process your data for newsletter subscriptions, marketing communications, and optional cookies based on your freely given consent. You may withdraw your consent at any time.
- Contractual Necessity - we process your data to fulfil orders you place, process payments, arrange delivery, and provide order status updates. This is necessary for the performance of our contract with you.
- Legal Obligation - we retain certain data (e.g., order and transaction records) to comply with Nigerian tax and regulatory requirements.
- Legitimate Interest - we may use your data to improve our products and services, prevent fraud, and ensure the security of our website.
5. How We Use Your Data
We use your personal data for the following purposes:
- To create and manage your account
- To process and fulfil your orders - including sewing garments to your specified measurements and preferences
- To process payments and issue receipts (via Paystack)
- To arrange delivery of your orders
- To communicate with you about your orders, including order confirmation, status updates, and delivery notifications
- To send you marketing emails and newsletters if you have subscribed (you can unsubscribe at any time)
- To respond to your inquiries submitted via the contact form or other channels
- To manage your booking appointments and coordinate with you on preferred dates/times
- To process and deliver gift cards purchased through our platform
- To display product ratings and reviews submitted by customers
- To maintain and improve our website, product catalogue, and customer experience
- To detect, prevent, and address fraud, security incidents, and technical issues
- To comply with legal and regulatory obligations
6. Sharing Your Personal Data
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties. We may share your data only in the following circumstances:
6.1 Service Providers
- Paystack - for payment processing. Your payment details are transmitted directly to Paystack and are subject to their privacy policy and security practices. We do not store your card numbers.
- Google Calendar (Google Workspace) - for managing consultation bookings and appointments.
- Shipping & Delivery Partners - we share your name, phone number, and delivery address to fulfil order shipments.
- Email Service Providers - for sending transactional emails (order confirmations, shipping updates) and marketing emails (newsletter) on our behalf.
- Web Hosting & Infrastructure Providers - for hosting our website and storing data securely.
6.2 Legal Requirements
We may disclose your personal data if required to do so by law, regulation, or legal process (e.g., a court order or request from a regulatory authority such as NITDA).
6.3 Business Transfers
In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our business, your personal data may be transferred to the acquiring entity. We will notify you of any such change and update this policy accordingly.
7. Data Retention
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for legal, accounting, or reporting requirements:
- Account Data - retained for as long as your account is active. You may request deletion of your account at any time.
- Order Data - retained for a minimum of six (6) years after the order is completed, to comply with Nigerian tax and record-keeping laws.
- Custom Measurements - retained alongside your order data for the same retention period. We may retain measurements after your order to facilitate future orders, but you may request their deletion at any time.
- Newsletter Subscription Data - retained until you unsubscribe. Upon unsubscription, we retain only a record that you have unsubscribed (to honour your preference).
- Contact Form Messages - retained for up to two (2) years after the inquiry is resolved.
- Booking Data - retained for up to one (1) year after the scheduled appointment date.
- Usage Data & Analytics - retained in aggregated or anonymised form where possible. Raw logs are retained for a maximum of twelve (12) months.
8. Your Rights Under the NDPR
Under the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right to Access - you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to Rectification - you can ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten") - you can request that we delete your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements.
- Right to Restrict Processing - you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
- Right to Data Portability - you can request a structured, machine-readable copy of your data to transfer to another service provider.
- Right to Withdraw Consent - if we process your data based on consent (e.g., newsletters), you can withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.
- Right to Object - you can object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing.
- Right to Lodge a Complaint - you have the right to file a complaint with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the Nigerian data protection authority, if you believe we have violated your data protection rights.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 13. We will respond to your request within the timeframe required by applicable law (generally 30 days).
9. Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:
- SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our servers
- Secure password hashing for all account passwords
- Restricted access to personal data - only authorised personnel with a legitimate business need can access customer data
- Regular security reviews and updates to our systems
- Secure data storage with reputable hosting providers
While we take every reasonable precaution, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure. We encourage you to use strong passwords and keep your account credentials confidential.
10. Cookies
Our website uses cookies - small text files placed on your device - to enhance your browsing experience and enable essential functionality.
- Essential/Session Cookies - these are necessary for the website to function. They enable you to log in, maintain your shopping cart, and navigate the site securely. These cookies are temporary and expire when you close your browser.
- Functionality Cookies - these remember your preferences (e.g., currency, recently viewed items) to provide a more personalised experience.
You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling essential cookies may prevent certain features of our website from working correctly (e.g., adding items to your cart or completing checkout).
11. Children's Privacy
Our services are not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If we become aware that a child under 18 has provided us with personal data, we will take steps to delete such information promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with their data, please contact us.
12. Links to Other Websites
Our website may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., Paystack for payment, social media platforms). This Privacy Policy applies only to our website. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external sites you visit.
13. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or operational needs. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date at the top. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
14. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us:
- By email: info@simiteds.com
- By phone: +234 702 514 7757
- By visiting our Contact Us page