Our Charity of the Month for December is RefugeeOne, an organization that creates opportunities for refugees fleeing war, terror, and persecution to build new lives of safety, dignity and self-reliance. We found out about their important work through one of our important customers (they’re all important!!). Sarah Holtschlag works at RefugeeOne and came by our office/warehouse one day where she delighted us with stories of Mata connections. We’ll let her retell them in her own words.
Ethical Fashion Blog
You might have noticed (here and here) that we have a thing for Project Runway. The truth is that we have a thing for reality TV in general (Survivor, Amazing Race, Design Star, and yes, even the Bachelor/ette), but we really, really love Project Runway.
Small Business Saturday is an alternative to Black Friday when Americans are encouraged to patronize small businesses rather than big box stores. Last year, to promote Small Business Saturday, American Express had a video competition for small businesses. I forget what the prize was exactly, but it was good and we wanted to win it. So we wrote up a script and practiced a bunch. The best video camera we had was on Taylor’s iPhone, so we shot it on that. Most of the other videos submitted only had the owner talking about the business, so we thought we stood out by including the whole staff. To our chagrin, we didn’t get selected.
In September, Kristin and I visited the women’s cooperative in Nepal that makes many of our dresses, tops, and pants. It was so amazing to get to know the women and see the whole process. I hope these photos and video clips convey that.
Wondering how to transition your favorite Mata pieces into fall?
Let me show you how I do it!
Continue Reading
Let me show you how I do it!
New York Fashion Week has ended and the international shows have begun. It is just getting cold enough to get out our fall boots and sweaters, but we have already started thinking about the spring/summer favorites from the shows!
One of the most amazing summer opportunities for American teachers is Teach With Africa. This non-profit organization places experienced educators in underserved schools in South Africa to both teach and learn. The org works closely with local partners to support academic programs, sustainability efforts, and social entrepreneurship initiatives.
Continue Reading
The first half of our Fall collection has arrived, which includes the full and flouncyApplique Plume skirt. It’s a great skirt for a girl on the go; pair it with a bright blouse as you dash out the door.
About 1 in 8 people in the world lives in a slum. By mid-century, with the population at more than 9 billion, the ratio would be 1 in 3, assuming poverty and migration to cities continue at their current rates. (Source: LA Times)
Continue Reading
It’s always fun when you show up at a party and see people you know. But for me, it’s equally as fun when I show up at a party and see people I don’t know wearing clothes or jewelry I know. Of course, I’m referring to party-goers wearing Mata! That’s what happened to me recently at my friends Mark and Roshani‘s place. They were hosting a fundraiser for a new organization called The Center for Workplace Democracy. It was a rockin’ party, and I nearly flipped out when I saw both the Monarch earrings and the Arbor skirt there, too!
My mom was in Baltimore visiting my aunt recently and they popped into Milagro, one of the cutest shops on the eastern seaboard. Milagro (meaning miracle in Spanish) specializes in unique, globally-inspired pieces from Baltimore and around the world.
Continue Reading
Hillary Clinton is thought of as a heroine to many women, but who are her heroines? One of them is Ela Bhatt, founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in India and one of the world’s most remarkable pioneers and entrepreneurial forces in grassroots development. Now over a million members strong, Bhatt formed SEWA in 1972 as a trade union for poor Indian women who make a living by selling vegetables, recycling trash, hand-rolling cigarettes and working in other marginal occupations.
Continue Reading
Going to any festivals this summer? You can count on Mata to have some of your must-have festival looks.
Mata Traders got its start in festival booths! So, being the veterans that they are,
Mata doesn’t disappoint when looking for festival gear (made from 100% cotton so you can breathe!).
Pig roast and potluck? BYOB? Patsy Cline cover band? These were some of my husband’s early suggestions for our wedding plans. A picnic affair he called it – I settled on ‘casual elegance.’ We went with open bar, affordable yet outstanding catering, Gatsby inspired attire, and yes, a Patsy Cline cover band. Guests couldn’t have been happier and we did it all with fair trade flair!
Get ready…
Our Fall ’12 collection is due to launch in stores mid-July and online early-August. We shot the catalog back in the first week in April, on a brisk day, traipsing the streets and alleys of Chicago. Now it’s 100 degrees here today, but perhaps a behind the scenes look at the Fall ’12 photo shoot will take you, at least momentarily, to a cooler place.