Ethical Fashion Blog

Bliss, in Knoxville, Tennessee, is known for its artful display of inventory throughout the store and in its window displays – which is pretty evident here: how cute do the Frida Loves Diego and Dahlia dresses look in their window?

Trending; Spring 2012

Mata’s pieces are so right on for the upcoming season. I could go on and on about their spring/summer line (peplums, jumpsuits!, and more), but they are best known for color and hand-block prints, which are the heavy hitters this spring.

WHAT IS A SLUM?

Although their characteristics vary between geographic regions, slums are usually areas of cities inhabited by the very poor or socially disadvantaged. Slum buildings vary from simple shacks to permanent and well-maintained structures. Most slums lack clean water, electricity, sanitation and other basic services. (Source)

A Mata for Every Mata

Mata means mother in Hindi, y’all, and Mata Traders was so named in part to honor the women at our cooperatives.

Grandma Tattoo Art

Our inventory manager, Bree, sporting the At First Glance top – she looked so cute I had to snap a pic. Pretty fierce tattoo there, huh? It’s an image of her grandma, Mamee, who Bree says is the biggest influence in her life. So in honor of all the ladies in our life who inspire and nurture us, Happy Mother’s Day! Don’t forget to tell your moms, grandmas, and aunts that you love them.:)

EARTH WEEK!

I celebrated Earth Day by having a mini picnic and wearing Mata’s ‘Blue Belle Dress‘.

By choosing to wear Mata’s clothing you are making a difference. Usually fashion is seen as having a negative effect on our planet (lots of dyes and chemicals are used to produce garments). Luckily for us, most of Mata Traders’ pieces are hand block printed with eco-friendly vegetable dyes. Mata also uses fair trade cotton, which means they support small family farms and follow environmental standards that restrict the use of agrochemicals and encourage sustainability.

Glitter Girls

Our intern, Carmen, came in the other day with gold nail polish and a solo sparkly nail.

LET’S TALK IKAT

Ikat is a print known and loved around the world. Mata uses ikat prints in many of their pieces, and, as we all know, Mata’s pieces are handmade by Indian women artisans. I thought I’d delve into this world of ikat and really see what is behind the scenes. I was in for a surprise. Hopes of a DIY ikat project were shattered when I found out how intricate this process is. I didn’t even know how to pronounce ikat correctly until I heard Maureen say it; it is pronounced ‘ee-kaht.’ It is a style of weaving where the yarn is dyed in zigzag or geometric patterns. The weaver chooses the exact pattern by wrapping the yarns with wax and clay before dipping it in different dyes. It is like a puzzle that gets more complicated with each color that is in the ikat design. Since the threads are dyed before they are woven it gives an “inaccurate” color distribution resulting in the enchanting blurred edges of the finished product.

SPOT A MATA – GOOGLE EARTH EDITION

I was visiting a friend in Santa Cruz recently and thought it would be fun to pop into Wallflower Boutique, a shop that carries us. So, I googled the shop to see where I was going, clicked on street view, and what did I see?

CUT. IT. OUT.

You might have noticed something missing from fashion lately:

SPRING IS IN!

Do we get the most photogenic interns or what? That’s Mallika and Laura in New Buffalo, Michigan and our own talented Taylor behind the lens.

THE COOLEST PLACE TO VOLUNTEER

Our Charity of the Month for April is Inspiration Corporation, the coolest place to volunteer. IC is a community organization that helps people who are homeless and at risk of homelessness, offering meals, case management, job training, and housing. What started out 23 years ago as one woman pulling a little red Radio Flyer wagon filled with sandwiches and coffee is now a powerhouse of homeless services.

THE DEFINITION OF FAIR TRADE

What is fair trade? That question comes up a lot. I have 2 knee-jerk responses that I tend to blurt out in equal share:

SWEET 16

A family friend asked for an advanced order on our best-selling Spring dress, the Forget Me Not. She needed it in time for her granddaughter’s 16th birthday. We literally just got it in, so I shipped it out right away. It hasn’t even gone live on the website (next week, after we send out our wholesale orders). My mom sent me this pic of Ally in the dress, and she’s looking sweet in Mata spring. What a cutie! The dress is perfect on her.

SEEING GREEN ON THE RED CARPET

When I saw this photo of Academy Award-nominated actress Jessica Chastain, I did a double take.

Ethical Fashion Blog

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