Ethical Fashion Blog

As Karma would have it...
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.
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Emails from India and a Loooooooooooooooooong shanti letter
Emails from India and a Loooooooooooooooooong shanti letter
Michelle, Maureen, and I first went to India in December 2003 and spent 4 months backpacking the country as part of a longer round-the-world adventure.  We stayed in touch with our friends and family back home through a new communication technology known as the group email.  On that trip, Maureen fell in love…with shopping in India.  She started Mata Traders, and has returned every year since.  We’ll be posting excerpts from past emails to share some of our first experiences and impressions of India.
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Fair Trade Indian tea
Fair Trade Indian tea

Up around the hill station town of Munnar in the southern state of Kerala, we ran into these ladies who pick tea leaves.  For a day’s work they’ll earn less than a dollar.  The tea trade continues to keep the poorest people in the supply chain – the growers and pickers in developing countries – in poverty.  Tea producers today receive only half of what they did 30 years ago for their crop.

 

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Fair Trade Futures Conference
Fair Trade Futures Conference
From September 10-12, 2010, the Fair Trade Futures Conference will bring together entrepreneurs, students, advocates, faith community members, concerned citizens, interested individuals, and others in Boston, MA for the largest Fair Trade event in North American history!
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Everybody needs an Auntie
Everybody needs an Auntie

“Surita Auntiiiieeee!”

This is a common call at our women’s cooperative in Mumbai and is usually shouted out in a high-pitched Hindi lilt.  What is Surita Auntie’s job description?

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Mata winter photo shoot
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.

 

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Mata Mama
Mata Mama
Still want to look your best with your baby bump?  Emily, Mata’s wholesale sales manager and mama-to-be, picked out some of Mata’s best fits for a growing belly.  Comfortable and fashionable, here are Emily’s recommendations…
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News from Bihar, where our beads come from
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.
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