Ethical Fashion Blog

The global marketing firm Edelman conducted their 4th annual good purpose study to explore consumer attitudes around social purpose and their social expectations of companies. The study surveyed more than 7,000 adults in 13 countries (1,000 in the U.S.) and some noteworthy data has emerged.

9 Ways to Transform our Communities and our World

9. Sign up for newsletters from organizations in the Fair Trade movement – You can get regular updates from the Fair Trade Federation and the Fair Trade Resource Network.

106-year-old new voter

Wednesday I witnessed 106-year-old Ignacia Garibay de Moya request an absentee ballot to vote for the first time in this election. She became a citizen just months ago on July 19th, 2010. When asked why she wanted to vote, she said, “I’m a citizen now. My children are all citizens. That’s what citizens do.”

Fair Trade Month

October is Fair Trade Month. Last year there were over 250 grassroots events around the country to promote and support fair trade. This year there are even more opportunities to get involved.

PANORAMA

Checking into the Panorama Guesthouse, my eyes scanned the lobby walls as I waited for the clerk to record my passport and visa information in his registry book. Imagine my surprise as I looked up at this photo of the establishment’s roof top restaurant and spotted Michelle and Maureen!

A Day In The Sampling Unit...

For me – up at 7 AM to watch the sun rise like a ball of fury over the lake. For the first time in years the lakes are full here — rain, rain and more rain has turned this town lush with beautiful shades of green. Breakfast while e-mailing (yes, our dear, dear guest house owner installed wifi for which I am ever so thankful) consists of “egg cheese toast” and a Starbucks coffee travel packet necessary to wake me up. Off to the co-op by 9 AM, running various errands along the way.

MODESTY A LA MODE

My second day here at the cooperative in Mumbai were were eating lunch with some of the ladies and the topic of shorts came up. You see, shorts are the new hot fashion item here. All the ladies had a pair. But India is quite a modest country, and showing too much skin is taboo. Shorts are too revealing to wear in public, except in the upscale districts of Mumbai where the rich and famous reside. So while all the ladies had a new pair of shorts, they all admitted to only wearing them in their own homes. They never actually wear them out of the house.

Catalog Appreciation Day

This week, Taylor has been creating our Fall/Winter 2011 catalog. As you can imagine, it is quite an endeavor: photographing the samples, writing descriptions, designing the layout and then using Photoshop to tediously put it all together. For the inside cover, we decided to make a collage from pictures I took last summer in India of the women who sew our clothes at the cooperatives. I think it’s a great idea, because, as a shopper, how often do you actually get to see a picture of the person who made the clothes you buy?!?!

THE RAIN IN BOMBAY FALLS MAINLY ALL THE TIME

I’ve had 3 full days now back in India (last time I was here it was 2004) and the main thing to report is that it is rainy. It’s monsoon season which means that it rains almost all the time and when it seems like the rain has let up and you go outside, it’s actually still raining, only a bit lighter.

As Karma would have it...

I’ve never done one of these group e-mails before, but I think now is as appropriate a time as any. I hope you all are well and enjoying the Christmas season. As I sit here in the swelter of a city called Trichy, I can’t quite fathom a snowflake falling. Joni, Michelle, and I have been in India for 9 days now, and are exploring the southern state of Tamil Nadu. We are slowly adjusting to the myriad of cultural and social differences. Everyday I learn something new, but to be honest, I’ve got a lot of questions that still need answering. I guess it’s like a huge puzzle. All the pieces are in front of me, and yet I’ve got no idea how they fit together, or what they will look like in the end.

Harshali’s Story (everything is connected)

I met Harshali two years ago when she was a shy 17 year old with limited English speaking skills. At that time she was working as a helper at our women’s cooperative and we struck up a friendship on our shared path home after work.

Make your town (or city) a Fair Trade Town

I went to grad school in Brattleboro, Vermont, and I was thrilled when I heard that I was living in an official Fair Trade Town. But to be honest, I wasn't exactly sure what that meant. What does it take to be a Fair Trade Town?

Mata winter photo shoot

Our awesome new sales coordinator, Taylor, is also a photographer, and on June 1st she shot Mata’s winter catalog. Taylor jumped into Emily’s position while she’s on maternity leave, and has already proven her ability to juggle a million things at once. We love her hard-working, creative spirit.

News from Bihar, where our beads come from

Looks like there are signs of improvement in Bihar, one of India’s most impoverished states and the location of many of our bead producer groups. Bihar has one of the lowest wage rates in the country and bead production is a big industry there. The cool thing about the organization that makes our jewelry is that they ensure that even the beads themselves are ethically sourced. They cut out the middle man and work directly with bead producers to pay them a livable wage that is often 3-5 times higher than the minimum wage in the area. They also make sure that health and safety precautions are followed and no child labor is used.

Maureen speaks at Green Fest

Do you know where your shirt was made? And under what conditions? Mata Traders is transforming the garment industry, proving it is possible to work with small-scale producers and pay a living wage, all while creating a product that sells.

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