Have time on your hands and need some new digs? In search of a few hours of meaningful job-doing and could use a fresh pair of earrings? Well you’re in luck!
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Ethical Fashion Blog
It’s crazy to think that in the fashion industry we have to design a collection a year in advance! One cold winter day in 2013, the design team here at Mata Traders sat around a table, enveloped in sweaters, hot tea/coffee in hand, flipping through the spring 2014 trend forecast shining from our computer screens. These wonderful images of warmth and color that symbolize spring gave me a sense of hope that maybe we would soon see the sun, but more importantly, got our brains racing for possibilities for new textiles and garments.
Another great style post from vegan style blogger, Jesse! If you didn’t see her in our Pen Pal skirt, she’s been strutting her stuff in some new Mata pieces this spring!
Some of you may know, but we moved to a brand new warehouse/office space at the beginning of April. We were stepping all over each other in the old place, so you can imagine our excitement at having so much room now. We’ve got space and we want to celebrate it!
“Have you ever put something on and felt it was made just for you?” asks fair trade fashionista Shannon, ’cause that’s how she felt in our Rain or Shine dress!
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If there were ever a true cocktail dress, this is it, it, and it! The First Dance Dress, the Starling Pocket Dress, and ModCloth’s exclusive Toast to Coast dress.
You may have noticed from the (ware)housewarming party invites that we recently moved into a new space! It’s more than double the size of our old office/warehouse so we’ve been itching to fill it with people and celebrate!
Everyone, meet vegan fashionista Jesse. A few months ago she spotted Mata clothes for the first time at Flirt, a shop in Brooklyn, but unfortunately they only had a few remaining sizes. She checked out our website and the Crown Point necklace caught her attention, so without hesitation she purchased it. A few weeks later, here she is, looking sporty in our Pen Pal skirt, adventuring around the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens on a beautiful sunny afternoon.
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As the temps are finally creeping up here in Chicago, I’m enjoying the warm breeze with hints of spring blossoms. We’ve got some great bloggers ready to style our Spring ’14 collection, and first up is fair trade fashionista Brandi, who brings her spring as she remixes the Maybe Me Top with items found in anyone’s wardrobe. A sensible coordinator, she’s got a stylish and a simple way to warm up from the hibernation of winter fashion.
As most of you already know, our garments are all individually stitched in small workshops, with one seamstress creating an entire garment rather than repeating the same small action over and over again like in a factory production line. Many styles are then carefully finished with hand embroidery in the women’s own homes. They put a lot of time and care into the pieces they make.
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I’ve been counting down the days of winter and now that the snow has cleared (in most places, sorry Chicago), I’m ready for spring fashion! Here are some of the top trends for spring that I’ll be incorporating into my looks:
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m already over the cold! Ever since our Spring 2014 catalog shoot back in October I couldn’t wait to show you a little sneak peek of the collection. I’m already daydreaming of warmer weather.
I have really enjoyed telling the stories and processes behind some of the prints in the Mata Traders Fall ’13 collection and decided I should go back and do the same for prints created for Spring ’13. The great part is that these next couple prints I will write about are now on sale, and let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good sale?
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For a girl like me who loves to wear nothing but dresses, I was thrilled to come across the amazing campaign, Dressember. Thousands of women wore a dress every single day this month to raise money for the International Justice Mission, an organization that rescues slaves all around the world.
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The Moonrise dress must be a blogger fave because Hannah from Lifestyle Justice is styling it, too. She has been a long-time Mata fan and promotes lots of fair trade on her blog – everything from food to her wedding (where her bridesmaids wore our Colaba bracelet and Palaise earrings).
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