As a fair trade brand, Mata Traders is passionate about ethical fashion and using our power as consumers to bring about change in the industry. So, we were thrilled to engage with other like-minded individuals at our blogger event hosted by Life+Style+Justice writer Hannah Theisen! Hannah invited local fashion bloggers along with a few Chicago-based social enterprises to come together as a conscious-minded community here at Mata headquarters.
Ethical Fashion Blog
Retailers and Factories Fail to Live Up to Promises to Improve Worker Conditions
Three years after the infamous Rana Plaza factory collapse killed over 1,100 garment factory workers in Bangladesh, reports show there are many significant safety hazards that remain in the country’s garment factories, as demonstrated by the recent Bangladesh factory fire this past February.
Spring ’17 samples are here, which means we need your help! We have to whittle this collection down to a lean, mean, stylish, fair trade fashion machine, and your opinions matter!
Grab your beach towel and lather on that sunscreen, we’re headed to the tropics! Whether you’re jet-setting to a Caribbean getaway or enjoying your stay-cation this summer, Mata Traders’ tropical-inspired jewelry will have you island dreaming.
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![RED, WHITE, & BLUE GIVEAWAY 2016 [GIVEAWAY CLOSED]](http://matatraders.com/cdn/shop/articles/dress_lisbon_red_m.jpg?v=1509032140&width=1)
Update: Four winners have been chosen (@lindseyll2, @emmekamalei, Melissa S., and Lizzay Grrasherr) and notified!
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Mata-carrying shops, we appreciate you! If it weren’t for you we wouldn’t be in 48 states and 11 countries around the world, with customers donning our dresses from the sidewalks of Brooklyn to the streets of Perth. One of our favorite parts of having stockists is that each of you has your own unique style; we love to see the way you showcase Mata and the individuality you bring to our brand.
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As someone whose business partners had babies 3 years ago, I know the value of childcare. This Mother’s Day, I’d like to point out how special it is that the sewing cooperatives we work with have childcare available.
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If you are in the Chicago area, join us for the biggest fair trade event in the USA! Chicago Fair Trade’s annual 2-day World Fair Trade festival and market will take place at Daley Plaza from 9am to 6pm on Wednesday, May 4, and Thursday, May 5. Come visit Mata at our booth, where we will be selling a large selection of clothing and jewelry, including sale items and one-of-a-kind samples!
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Once upon a time, I was living my biggest fear: becoming a single mom of three kids 7, 9, and 11. I was not prepared for going it alone as a parent, especially as a parent wounded by the quick end of a long relationship that reshuffled my future and severely rocked my sense of self.
On April 24, 2013, 1,124 people were killed and over 2,500 injured when the Rana Plaza garment factory collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Fashion Revolution Day was started to honor the memory of the workers who lost their lives and to advocate for brands to ensure the safety of the people who make their clothes. At Mata Traders, we share the core belief central to Fashion Revolution: that fashion can and should be made in a safe, clean, and beautiful way, where the people who make our clothing are valued and paid a fair wage.
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Anxious for spring? Check out these two ethical outfits we’ve compiled that will help make the remaining winter weeks a little cozier and brighter.
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After the turn out for our Autumn/Winter 2016 Focus Group in early January, two things are certain:
Fall ’16 samples are here, which can only mean one thing – we need your help! We have to whittle this collection down to a lean, mean, stylish fair trade machine, and your opinions matter!