Here are the first runway pics from Greenheart’s Fair Trade Fashion Show. A big thank you to all the fabulous models and to Greenheart Shop for putting on a great show!
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Ethical Fashion Blog
We want to thank Hannah Warren, founder and Executive Director of Jhoole, for being such a fabulous host! We spent two lovely days designing in the peaceful town of Maheshwar – best known for the talent of its handloom weavers – in Madhya Pradesh (central India) where Jhoole is located. It was a true relief to escape the chaos of big-city India for a moment; Maheshwar, with a population of just over 20,000, actually feels chill, like a village! We ate home cooked meals and got to know the townspeople a bit.
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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.
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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Just arrived from India this week, our new line has got us looking forward to warm weather. New dresses, jackets, skirts, and tops in the bold block print fabrics we're known for. Lots of hand-stitched details. Plus cute accessories, like headbands, scarves, and bags. Beautiful new jewelry, too.
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Welcome to Mata Traders' blog!
We'll use this space so you can learn more about Mata Traders and the women's cooperatives and artisans that make our clothes and jewelry. Please check back here often for stories and pictures from our travels in India, anecdotes about starting up a small business, information on fair trade, and discussion of the latest fashion. We'll also use this space to offer special deals on our fair trade clothing and accessories and to announce events where we'll be selling our line.