Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Fashion by Donika is the controller responsible for personal data processed through this website and its services. The website address is https://fashionbydonika.com/.

For privacy questions or to exercise your data-protection rights, contact:

Email: hello@fashionbydonika.com

2. Personal data we collect

Information you provide

Depending on how you use the website, you may provide:

• Your name and email address.
• Contact-form messages and other correspondence.
• Newsletter preferences and Academy course interests.
• Comments submitted to blog posts, together with the name, email address and website address you choose to enter.
• Billing, delivery and contact details required to process purchases.
• Order details, purchased products, e-books or courses, payment status, refunds and transaction references.
• Information you provide when participating in a live course, workshop or related learning activity.

Information collected automatically

When you visit the website, we and our service providers may collect technical and usage information such as your IP address, browser, device type, operating system, referring page, pages visited, approximate location, date and time of access, cookie identifiers and interactions with the website or advertisements.

3. How and why we use personal data

4. Newsletter and Academy waiting list

If you subscribe to the Fashion by Donika newsletter or register interest in an Academy course, we use the information you submit to send the updates you requested. Academy registration may include your selected course interest.

MailPoet is used to manage subscribers, subscription status and email communications. Depending on our configuration, MailPoet or its sending service may process delivery and engagement information, such as whether an email was delivered, opened or clicked.

You may unsubscribe at any time using the link in an email or by contacting us. Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that took place before withdrawal. We may retain limited suppression information to ensure that an unsubscribed address is not added back to marketing communications unintentionally.

5. Purchases, WooCommerce and Stripe

WooCommerce is used to operate our online shop and manage purchases of physical products, e-books and courses. We process information needed to accept and administer an order, provide delivery or access, communicate about the purchase, handle support or refunds, prevent fraud and maintain legally required business records.

Card and other electronic payments may be processed by Stripe. Payment information is submitted securely to the payment provider. Fashion by Donika does not receive or store your complete card number or card security code. Stripe may process your payment information, device information, transaction data and anti-fraud signals under its own privacy terms.

Delivery providers may receive the name, delivery address and contact details needed to deliver physical products. Download and access details may be used to deliver e-books or course information.

6. Live courses and online learning

Live courses may be delivered using Zoom or Microsoft Teams. When you join a live session, the platform provider may process account, device, connection and participation information under its own privacy terms.

If a session will be recorded, participants will be informed beforehand and an appropriate legal basis and notice will be provided. We will not present a live course as recorded without informing participants.

Course administration data may be used to confirm attendance, provide materials, issue certificates, respond to questions and manage the learning service.

7. Blog comments and spam prevention

When you leave a comment, we collect the information entered in the comment form, as well as the IP address and browser user-agent information used to support moderation and spam detection. Approved comments and the chosen display name may be publicly visible.

An anonymised string created from your email address may be provided to the Gravatar service to check whether you use it. After a comment is approved, a profile image associated with Gravatar may be publicly visible alongside the comment.

8. Cookies, analytics, advertising and affiliate links

Cookies and similar technologies may be used to operate the website, remember preferences, maintain shopping-cart functions, protect forms, measure traffic and support advertising or affiliate functions.

Google Analytics and Google Site Kit may collect information about visits and interactions to help us understand website performance. Google AdSense may use cookies or similar technologies to display and measure advertisements. Google reCAPTCHA may process technical and behavioural information to protect forms from spam and abuse. Non-essential analytics and advertising technologies should be activated only in accordance with the choices presented through our cookie-consent mechanism where consent is required.

Some articles may contain affiliate links. If you click one, the destination website or affiliate network may use a cookie or referral identifier to recognise that you arrived through Fashion by Donika. We may receive a commission if you complete a qualifying purchase, at no additional cost to you. External websites process personal data according to their own privacy policies.

9. Hosting, security and content delivery

The website uses Bluehost for hosting and Cloudflare for content delivery, performance and security services. These providers may process IP addresses, request data, security events and technical logs when visitors access the website.

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures intended to protect personal data, including encrypted HTTPS connections, access controls, software updates, backups and security monitoring. No online service can guarantee absolute security.

10. Service providers and data sharing

We do not sell personal data. We may share limited information with service providers only when needed to operate the website and provide services, including:

• Bluehost and Cloudflare for hosting, delivery, performance and security.
• WordPress, WooCommerce and related service providers for website and shop functionality.
• MailPoet for subscription and email management.
• Stripe and other enabled payment providers for payment processing and fraud prevention.
• Google services, including Analytics, Site Kit, AdSense, reCAPTCHA and embedded YouTube content.
• Zoom or Microsoft for live online course delivery.
• Delivery companies for physical orders.
• Professional advisers, accountants, insurers, regulators, courts or public authorities where reasonably necessary or legally required.

We may also disclose information when necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims; comply with law; prevent fraud or misuse; or protect the rights, property or safety of Fashion by Donika, our customers or others.

11. International data transfers

Some service providers may process personal data outside Malta or the European Economic Area. Where required, transfers are supported by an adequacy decision, approved contractual safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses, or another lawful transfer mechanism. You may contact us for further information about safeguards relevant to your personal data.

12. How long we retain personal data

• Marketing subscriptions: until you unsubscribe or the information is no longer required, with limited suppression data retained where necessary.
• Contact enquiries: normally for up to 24 months after the enquiry is resolved, unless continued retention is reasonably necessary.
• Orders and financial records: for the period required by applicable accounting, taxation, consumer-protection and legal-obligation rules.
• Course administration: for the course period and afterwards where needed for certificates, support, financial records, disputes or legal requirements.
• Comments: while the relevant content remains published or as needed for moderation, record-keeping and spam prevention.
• Analytics and technical logs: according to the retention settings of the relevant service and for no longer than reasonably necessary for analytics, security and troubleshooting.

Retention may be extended when required by law, a dispute, fraud prevention, security investigation or the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

13. Your data-protection rights

Subject to the GDPR and applicable law, you may have the right to:

• Request access to your personal data.
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Request erasure of data in applicable circumstances.
• Request restriction of processing.
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Object at any time to the use of your data for direct marketing.
• Receive data you provided in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format where data portability applies.
• Withdraw consent at any time where processing relies on consent.
• Lodge a complaint with a competent supervisory authority.

To exercise a right, email hello@fashionbydonika.com. We may request information necessary to verify your identity. Rights are not absolute and may be subject to lawful exceptions.

You may lodge a complaint with Malta’s Information and Data Protection Commissioner at idpc.org.mt. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to address your concern.

14. Automated decision-making

Fashion by Donika does not use personal data to make solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects. Payment and security providers may use automated tools to detect fraud or abuse under their own terms.

15. Children’s privacy

The website, shop and Academy are not intentionally directed to children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect their personal data for marketing or purchases without appropriate authorisation. If you believe a child has provided personal data improperly, contact us so we can investigate and take appropriate action.

16. External links and embedded content

Articles and pages may contain links to or embedded content from other websites, including social networks, video platforms, retailers and affiliate partners. Those services may collect information as if you visited their websites directly. Their processing is governed by their own privacy policies and settings.

17. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when our website, services, legal obligations or service providers change. The revised version will be published on this page with an updated date. Where a change materially affects how we use existing personal data, we will provide additional notice where required.