Dust off your flips flops and grab the sunnies – your escape from winter doldrums has arrived. Meet Mata’s new Spring/Summer 2017 collection!
Ethical Fashion Blog
If you know the story of Mata, you know that us Mata folk love to travel. We love it a lot, and I personally try to take advantage of every opportunity I have to go out into the world to explore. I’m the kind of person who will drop everything and move to Mexico for a year (to teach English) or embark on a round-the-world adventure with 2 friends (that’s how Mata started).
If you’ve ever read up on how Mata Traders was started, you know we have a giant soft spot for travel. Giant.
Have you heard of the Deagan Building? It’s at the intersection of Ravenswood Avenue and Berteau Avenue here in Chicago, and here’s why should know it: Mata Traders’ headquarters is located in the building.
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If you’re imagining Nepal, you’ve probably got scenes of towering Himalayan peaks in your head.
It’s spring! We’ve all been working a lot! Time for a vacation.
I took a week off and jetted to Norway and the Netherlands, overly excited to bring some pieces from our new collection to explore unfamiliar cities and towns in style.
Looking for a little fashion inspiration? On our trip to Nepal last year we snapped a few street shots of locals with stand-out style.
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Team Mata is heading to India on Monday to work on the 2014 collections. Will there be more elephant rides in store?
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We arrived in Kathmandu late on a Friday, so the next day was a free day. What to do, what to see? Not to worry – we were in good hands. The lovely Pratima, marketing director of our partner cooperative there, took us on a tour of the Nepalese capital.
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We love traveling, here at Mata. So much to see, so much to eat, so much to absorb! Our trips to India are always the perfect combination of excitement and relaxation.
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The 5th Annual Fair Trade Photo Contest has begun, and we need your vote! The contest is hosted by the Fair Trade Resource Network, voting is free and easy (no sign-ups), and you get to vote for your 5 favorite entries. The winners are featured in the 2014 Fair Trade Calendar, and man, do we want to be in that calendar!
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Here’s our designer, Kristin, and intern/model, Mallika, demonstrating how to ride a camel.
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“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain
Start here – buy a Lonely Planet Peru and you’re off on your honeymoon! In Dec. of 2011 my husband and I landed in Lima and loved it immediately – check out Second Home Peru, the best bed and breakfast in town and once home to Victor Delfin, artist extraordinaire. His sculpture The Kiss sits smack dab on the ocean in “Love Park” in Lima’s Miraflores district.
After graduating college in 2010, midwestern girl Kat Vallera knew what she wanted to do – see the world – and she signed up to teach music at a Thai kindergarden. Her carefully arranged plan didn’t go as expected when the school turned out to be a nightmare. The teachers were completely strict to the point of being abusive. “I watched helplessly as my Thai teacher took every ounce of fun and creativity out of music and replaced it with some kind of cut and dry exact science that these five-year-old children were expected to perfect, or else face punishment,” Kat says.
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Although their characteristics vary between geographic regions, slums are usually areas of cities inhabited by the very poor or socially disadvantaged. Slum buildings vary from simple shacks to permanent and well-maintained structures. Most slums lack clean water, electricity, sanitation and other basic services. (Source)
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