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.
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Ethical Fashion Blog
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.
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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:
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.
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When I saw this photo of Academy Award-nominated actress Jessica Chastain, I did a double take.
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Emily and I recently got back from the Pool trade show at Mandalay Bay in Vegas. Happy to say we made our sales targets (woot!). We also saw some seriously fresh fashion. My brain was a buzzin’ with all the trends – totally ahead of the curve and everyone’s bringing out their true style sense.
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In our Fall 2011 collection we debuted Mata Home, a line of home decor featuring our trademark block prints with hand-stitched embroidery and applique.
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Our very cool friend, Claire, hosted her 4th Annual Cool Woman Valentine’s Day Brunch to raise money for the Rape Victim Advocates, and wouldn’t you know it, Michelle and I both showed up in the red Rendezvous skirt. We loved this skirt so much in our Fall ’10 collection (Michelle’s version) that we brought it back for Fall ’11 (mine).
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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I couldn’t resist taking this pic at the office today. Kristin, our designer, on the left, was wearing these adorable floral shorts paired with a striped sweater, and Carmen, our new design intern, had a sheer minty green long skirt folded over and tucked into her waist with leggings. Sheer draping is everywhere these days, even in the Mata office. I love that these girls are ON it and having their design input shows in our collections.
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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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Hettal married Suraj in the traditional manner of an Indian bride – bedazzled in an embroidered pink wedding sari, forearm to fingertip decorated with intricate henna designs. But their love story is anything but traditional. In a society where arranged marriage is the norm, Hettal and Suraj chose each other. And, like the plot of a Bollywood movie, Hettal’s parents didn’t approve. You see, Hettal is Hindu and Suraj is Buddhist.
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We are starting a new feature in our newsletter – a charity of the month. The organization will help drive sales to our site, and in return we will give them a portion of that month’s proceeds. For the first month (February) we are partnering with a non-profit near and dear to my heart, Broad Shoulders Animal Rescue.
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Hi ho from India. I am still here and not only is it beginning to feel like I’ve been here forever, but it’s also starting to seem like I will be here forever. Delhi is the Washington D.C. of India – this capital city is dominated by New Delhi, designed by the British in the 1920s, and what is left of Old Delhi, designed by Shah Jahan in the 1700s. You can imagine the juxtaposition: New Delhi contains the house of Jarwahal Nehru and his daughter Indira (both 1970s versions of a more modest White House) and a wide double boulevard w/ trees, fountains, and yes, even grass, that leads from the India Gate to the Government Buildings, while Old Delhi contains the pile-up of hundreds of years of mosques, bazaars, four-story homes, havelis, tombs and temples. I last wrote from Pushkar, and while there we took a side trip to the Rajasthani city of Jodhpur, before heading further north to Bikaner.
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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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