Marc Newson: I can’t help thinking jewelry design when I see this guy’s work. So many cool ideas, lines, and shapes…..I want to rework these into baubles! 2013 Spring is where we are heading now.
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Ethical Fashion Blog
Our fair trade friends over at Global Goods Partners have some really awesome products – check out these earrings made out of recycled bottle caps from Swaziland that Michelle got at the NYIGF show. She came in to the office rocking them today and I want my own pair NOW…we’ll have to wear them different days.
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In the middle of winter we need layers to keep warm, but that can make it difficult to keep a sleek silhouette. I’ve been wearing fitted turtlenecks under the majority of my dresses to solve that problem. I love the stark color contrast of black against Mata’s teal ‘Japonaise Dress‘. (I love the block print on the inside collar)
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The colors in the ‘Jardin‘ dress are perfect for fall. The crimson and chartreuse are vibrant, so I paired it with neutral accessories. I couldn’t believe I had this fedora that just so happened to be the perfect color….match made in fashion heaven.
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Aid to Artisans is one of my favorite organizations – they connect talented artisan groups around the world with skilled designers and then market the lines here in the U.S. It’s the fusion of the traditional craft sector with high end design that’s so darn awesome to me.
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About a month ago I had the pleasure of posing for Mata’s Spring/Summer 2012 catalog shoot. It was on location in New Buffalo, MI which I had never visited before, and it was absolutely perfect. The sun shining, the sand between my toes, and the clothes…the clothes! Mata is showing bright colors for the spring and summer, and it makes me happy.
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Calling all Mata fans in Bloomington, Indiana…!!! Mata’s coming to town and walking the runway. Students at IU are putting on a fair trade fashion show and doing their part in giving fair trade a chance to shine!
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Congratulations to Human Rights Watch for their successful campaign to have New York Fashion Week cancel Gulnara Karimova’s show, daughter of Uzbekistan’s long-standing dictator. She was scheduled to present her spring line on the prestigious runway, but HRW and other rights organizations intervened to voice their concerns about her role in her father’s tyrannical government.
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Join the celebration at Chicago Fair Trade’s annual gala featuring fair trade wine and cocktails, appetizers, and special Day of the Dead brew. Find elegant fair trade treasures in the silent auction. Global fest will celebrate the growing consumer support for products that guarantee a fair wage and social benefits to workers.
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There are two very cool events coming up this weekend in Chicago.
The first is STOP TRAFFICK’s annual fundraiser on Saturday evening at the beautiful Intuit Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, at 756 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago.
The other awesome event is Old St. Pat’s Solidarity Market, happening Sunday from 9am – 1pm at 700 West Adams Street in Chicago.
Mata Traders’ fair trade clothing is made in India and Nepal by women’s cooperatives. Last summer I got the chance to visit three of them. I had a great time meeting all the women and getting to know their stories. I even interviewed several women on video with the translation help of social worker, Sampada, who took me on a tour of her co-op.
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Maureen and Kristin are in India at the moment working with the co-ops on next Spring’s collection and even getting started on Fall 2012. This past weekend they visited one of the block printers where we source our fabric. Maureen said they got a lot of great photos and video, and it motivated me to finally get these pictures up from last summer when Michelle and I visited another block printer we use.
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If you’re a fan of Mata Traders, you probably care about how your clothes were made. It’s true that all over the world, people are being exploited – or worse – making the clothing that we wear everyday.
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Grab yourself a copy of the back-to-school edition of Justine Magazine on newsstands now. Justine is a national magazine filled with fun, positive, and empowering content for teenage girls. This month the mag features fair trade clothing from our Fall 2011 line, out this September.
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