There are things that I come across, stories and images online, that have a big impact on me – really shake me up. I feel like it is important to publicize these things, to spread the word. So:
The finger test really is as bad as it sounds.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/101029/rape-laws-health-finger-test-women
Thousands of dead baby albatrosses with stomachs filled with lethal quantities of plastic.
http://chrisjordan.com/gallery/midway/#CF000668%2016×21
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).
Rendezvous Deja Vu
Vote in the comments.
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.
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.
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.
Buy these killer earrings for $28 at globalgoodspartners.org.
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.
We met Hettal at one of our cooperatives, where she is a designer, and we work with her very closely to produce samples of our designs. She’s our point person there, and we send her all of our drawings, patterns, and specs to develop into samples. Once the samples are ready, we go back and forth with her to make corrections and get the garments just right. Hettal comes from a middle class background and was able to go to university to study fashion design. That’s where she met Suraj, who was studying art.
When Hettal told her parents that she wanted to marry Suraj, they refused. They had expected to arrange a marriage for her to a suitable young man from her own caste, and Suraj, not only outside of her caste but her religion as well, was not an acceptable match.
Hettal continued to see Suraj, but waited to bring up marriage to her parents again for half a year. She wanted to show her parents that she and Suraj were committed and give them time to reconsider. Finally one afternoon, she made the hours-long trek to her parents’ village home with Suraj in toe. There, she again made a plea for them to let her marry her love.
Her parents hadn’t changed their minds, and a huge argument ensued. They told her that if she married Suraj, they would renounce her as their daughter and never speak to her again. Hettal stood her ground and started packing her things.
And she never saw her parents again.
Just kidding! Would we really tell you a depressing love story this close to Valentine’s Day? In this story, love really did conquer all! When Hettal’s parents saw how far she was willing to go to marry Suraj, they relented. The wedding was a joyous occasion with friends and family, and as is the tradition of Indian weddings, the bride and groom sat in elaborate thrones on a stage while guests lined up to get photos taken with them.
Hettal and Suraj moved into a modern apartment building on the outskirts of Mumbai, and invited me and Michelle to lunch one day. Besides being in a “love marriage,” as it’s called in India, the couple is unconventional in another way: Suraj helps cook!
They served a delicious chicken curry with vegetables.
We had a great time!
As you know, Suraj is an artist, and he offered to draw our portraits.
What do you think? Did he get us right?
It has really been an amazing experience to work with Hettal and the other extraordinary women at the cooperatives. We’ve seen that fair trade is a process that supports and elevates them to make bold decisions and to be who they want to be.
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.
Scott and I have been fostering cats and kittens as part of Broad Shoulders’ all-volunteer foster network for about 2 years now, and we love it!!! People ask if it is hard to say goodbye to the cats once we get attached, and it is. It’s bittersweet, really. But we know they are going to a good and permanent home (which is something we can’t provide at this point) and at the same time, we are looking forward to the next cat, of course.
These are the furry friends we’ve made through Broad Shoulders, and I’m happy to report that they are all doing well in their new homes. I hope these pictures make you want to adopt and/or foster, too.
Scott and Circe take a cat nap.
brother and sister, Apollo and Artemis
Three sisters:
Beta
Antigone
Electra aka Agent Orange Stripe
Scott and Juniper
the cross-eyed and oh-so-affectionate Chunk aka Mr. Noisy aka Maurice
Pepper!
Pepper is a sweetheart who loves to be pet and to play with strings and balls! She’s still available for adoption; send Broad Shoulders an email at cats@broadshouldersrescue.org to set up a time to meet her.
Tuesday, March 23, 2004 Travelogue: Excerpts from past impressions and experiences in India (see the first travelogue segment we posted)
New Delhi, India
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.
Bikaner is a city in the desert; I know you’ve heard me talk much of camels recently but until our desert safari I had no idea how intimate I was to become w/ these animals. We took a three day safari out into the desert; by the second day temperatures rose to such a degree that we lay stricken in the shade, our attempts at converting Celsius to Fahrenheit unsuccessful. We were useless, trapped and unable to figure out how hot is REALLY was (our guides promised it was only 35 degrees Celsius; but how hot is that?). It was about 110 degrees out there, so we came to find out upon our return to town.
The safari began in typical Indian fashion; our first stop before bumping into the desert being the Eighth Wonder of the World – a RAT temple. Ikrar, our Muslim English-speaking guide who we came adore, ushered us onto the temple grounds. The first rat I saw was curled up into a ball, cutely sleeping in the corner of the entrance gate. I heaved a deep breath thinking, this may not be so bad. We plunged in and lo and behold, there were hundreds of rats scuttling to and fro. They did not necessarily come near us on purpose, as they seemed unconscious of our presence, but when one happened to veer too close I’d be forced to stand on tip toe. In all Hindu temples it is customary to remove your shoes, so not only were there small rats zooming across my path at every turn, but I was standing there defenseless, in just a pair of “moisture wicking” socks.
In a Hindu temple it is also customary to do a round around the inner shrine – rats filled the empty rooms next to us as we ran on tip toe through the narrow passage way surrounding the shrine. They crawled out of water holes and up walls, on top of un-spinning ceiling fans and over statues of Shiva. I must say once you see enough rats, they start looking exactly like little mice…
The heat during the first day of the safari was not as mind-numbing as it was the second. After leaving the temple we boarded the camels and set off w/ Ikrar, our 19 year old guide, Subhas, the camel man, and Susiel, the cook. Subhas and Susiel spoke no English; Subhas is 15 years old and was married at age 13. Child marriages are common in Rajasthan; I bought jewelry from a successful businessman who had been married at the age of five. The marriages are not consummated until the couple is allowed to live together, which is usually when the woman is 18 and the man 21. Subhas knows who his wife is but does not speak to or see her.
The girls and I felt like true princesses, albeit princesses during the Middle Ages. The sun burned – Ikrar made us turbans from our head scarves, which we then wore covered w/ another head scarf; every part of our body had to be covered. The heat was so intense, jolts of it would sudden through my body and I’d have to think to keep cool. The first night we were exhausted but slept out in the open, under the moonlight, surprisingly close to the camels, the boys on one side for protection and a family of dogs roaming about to bark loudly at any intruder. I have never slept out in the open before, and I believe it may be good for you. I saw three shooting stars before I could no longer hold my eyes open. It was peaceful – the moon light woke me when the moon rose, its light was so bright. In the morning we were pleased to see Subhas calmly cleaning and combing the camels. The camel is shaved except for its hump, which is covered in a thick burst of curly fur. Our cart tire was flat so instead of doing another 20 kilometers in the scorching heat we decided to stay near camp, go into a village for water and a cool drink, and relax. Imagine me riding into a rural Indian village on top of a camel w/ my sun/rain umbrella out, keeping the sun’s rays as far from my actual body as possible – it felt regal but looked ridiculous.
Camels are amazing creatures – ornery as can be, kicking their drivers and ingesting huge bags of feed daily, but somehow majestic w/ their wide-eyed gait. They are “notoriously flatulent,” and this is no joke as we learned while being pulled close behind one on a cart. Two girls would ride atop a camel, each sitting just in front of the hump, while the third battled constant camel toots from her seat on the cart. A camel’s neck and head when stretched up are as tall as Jonit; you can imagine my fright when they stood up, lifting you nearly eight feet off the ground. Although their walk is tough to settle into, the ride is smooth when the camel runs. However, as you’re not strapped on or anything, a running camel is about as stable as an old water-logged wooden fence – it doesn’t seem like a person should be depending on it to hold them up.
On the third day, we were sad to leave our guides and even sadder not to have another night under the stars. I’d come to at least like camels; I can’t say the same for the rats.
The pollution in Delhi is all-invasive and I miss the fresh cool desert night air. To escape the tourist enclaves here never fails to disappoint; Bikaner was a big town w/ a small town mentality. The people met you w/ a smile.
I’ve rambled on long enough. Take care, from my side of the world to yours…
love,
Michelle
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)
The colors in the ‘Rendezvous Skirt‘ are easy peezy to create an outfit around; it’s a good basic to have. Here, to tone down the sweetness of the skirt, I paired it with a chunky fair isle sweater, a tougher boot, and the ‘Nefertiti Necklace‘.
My camera doesn’t do this dress justice! It is soft, but has a lot of energy. The ‘Merci Dress‘ looks great with whiskey or cognac colored accessories. I think it has a western feel, so I went for a flat boot, and a hard-to-see-in-this-picture braided belt with tassels. (Side note: The color reminds me of my old Crayola favorite, Bittersweet.) So. Great.
Wishing a great 2012 to Mata’s readers! It’s going to be a good year.
-Laura
Michelle is flying off to her honeymoon in Peru today. In honor of that, I thought I’d share some pics from the last time I traveled abroad with Michelle. It was our trip to India 2 summers ago to work with the cooperatives. These photos were taken on the journey we took to work each morning.
We passed a small fruit and veggie market on the street under a temporary display of political billboards celebrating Ganpati.
As you sprinkle nutmeg into your holiday cookies or hot spiced cider this season, think about how that nutmeg got to you. There’s quite a story behind it. My friend Matt Styslinger is in Indonesia with Mercy Corps and bring us that story…
How often do you think about nutmeg? It might be stashed in your kitchen somewhere, nearly as full as the day you bought it to include in a winter novelty drink or dessert. But when was the last time you cooked a dish designed around the bittersweet spice? You wouldn’t think it, but nutmeg—native to remote islands in Indonesia’s Maluku Province—was once one of the world’s most valuable commodities and played a prominent role in history. Mercy Corps is working to leverage that history to support today’s spice farmers in eastern Indonesia.
The Banda Islands in Maluku are a tiny idyllic archipelago that once produced the entire world supply of nutmeg. Banda’s location was a closely guarded secret of Arab traders in the Middle Ages, keeping the spice rare and expensive. Among others, it was desired by medieval European elites to flavor and preserve meats. In the 16th century, nutmeg was believed to ward off the plague, helping to drive up European demand for the exotic spice.
In the early 1500s a Portuguese expedition finally discovered Banda and began bringing back cargos of nutmeg to Europe. A single cargo of nutmeg could easily pay for an expedition with enough profit to bring enormous wealth to those who organized it.
The Dutch and British fought brutal battles to gain control of Banda’s nutmeg. The Dutch set up the Dutch East Indies Company (VOC). Among many other tragedies, the VOC hired Japanese mercenaries in 1621 to slaughter the entire native population of Banda, bringing in slaves from other parts of Indonesia to man the VOC’s nutmeg production.
Nutmeg Fruit
The British traded away their last foothold in Banda, an island called Run, to the Dutch in exchange for New Amsterdam in the new world—now better known as Manhattan! The Dutch remained in control of all of Maluku, and most of Indonesia,
until World War II.
Maluku was long known as the Spice Islands, and it was here that Christopher Columbus had hoped to reach by sailing west from Europe. While the Dutch and the British battled for control over nutmeg in Banda, the Portuguese and the Spanish fought over clove, native to the islands of Tarnate and Tidore in Northern Maluku. Eventually, these islands too—as well as their clove trees (Syzygium aromaticum)—were controlled by the Dutch until Indonesian independence in the 20th century.
Today, Indonesia is still the world’s largest producer of nutmeg, and one of the top producers of clove. Maluku Province remains an important hub of Indonesian spice production. But the economic value of the Spice Islands has long since dwindled. Today’s Malukan spice farmers earn lower than optimal profits from their yields, and their nutmeg and clove have not retained the luster of the region’s colorful and exotic history on the international market.
Spice farmers in Maluku suffer from lack of technical knowledge, limited access to inputs that could improve the quantity and quality of their production, and lack of options for selling their crop. Much of Maluku’s spices are bought at minimum prices by regional wholesalers, who sort by grade and resell to global markets at higher prices. There was protracted conflict in Maluku from 1999-2002 between Muslim and Christian communities that displaced thousands of people. The economy has since stagnated, further affecting the ability of Malukan spice farmers to prosper.
Nutmeg crop: from the seed comes nutmeg, and the webbed coating is removed, dried, and ground into the spice 'mace'
Mercy Corps Indonesia’s Spice up the Deal (SUD) project, which began implementation in 2011, aims to facilitate market changes to benefit poor spice-producing communities on Ambon and Seram islands in Maluku Province. Following the Making Markets Work for the Poor framework, SUD addresses value chain development and connects farmers to businesses that support them.
SUD will facilitate development of medium and small business services—that provide inputs, training, and market information—to create improvements in quality and quantity of Malukan spice production. It will also strengthen relationships between farmers, traders, and exporters and increase the Government of Indonesia’s ability to benefit the nutmeg and clove sectors.
Key to the success of SUD will be raising the visibility of Maluku spices through labeling and branding that captures the history and mystique of their origin. By improving the value of their spices among spice traders and consumers, poor Malukan spice farmers can reclaim some of the prominence that so shaped their history.
The colors in the ‘Jardin‘ dress are perfect for fall. The crimson and chartreuse are vibrant, so I paired it with neutral accessories. I couldn’t believe I had this fedora that just so happened to be the perfect color….match made in fashion heaven.
The ‘Le Day Off’ dress reminds me of the 70s which is very on trend for this 2011 fall and winter season. To amp up the 70s attitude, I paired it with sky-high wooden platforms and a floppy felt hat. Don’t forget the chunky knit! The cream color helps pop the print in the dress.
Gotta love a Mata mini! When hemlines rise, I lower the heel. Or loafers in this case. I paired this ‘Petite Coquette‘ skirt with a ruffled blouse and cardigan on top. This outfit could take me almost anywhere! I love Mata’s ‘sunburst‘ necklace here; it matches the wooden buttons down the front of the skirt.
Mata’s ‘Parisian Pant‘ rules. It’s really refreshing to wear a wide leg after wearing skinny jeans for so long. They make me want to get all sharp and spiffy looking, as shown here with a Colonel Sanders necktie and leather jacket.
These ‘Ruby Hoop‘ earrings are fantastic for upcoming holiday parties. They look beautiful against cream. Pull your hair back to really show them off. Also, a little cat eye/red lip combo never hurt anyone.
Another jewelry tip:
Pair the ‘Leaf Cuff‘ and ‘Bastille Bracelet‘ together for a sweet arm party.
Hands down, Fall/Winter is my favorite fashion season! Mata makes it fun with their use of color and flattering silhouettes. After thought: Pair any of the outfits above with sweater tights for a toasty layer in the upcoming chill. After all, it is December now!
I hope you’re inspired to try some new looks and get creative, because the holidays are the perfect time to do so!
-Laura
P.S. My apologies for the iPhone pics…and the sparsely decorated apartment. I tried to snaz it up with an angel statue - I promise better pictures next time!
Aid to Artisans is one of my favorite organizations – they connect talented artisan groups around the world with skilled designers and then market the lines here in the U.S. It’s the fusion of the traditional craft sector with high end design that’s so darn awesome to me.
I’m also a total sucker for Project Runway, so I was pleased to see that last season’s winner, Gretchen, has a fair trade jewelry line made by artisans in Colombia and sponsored by Aid to Artisans.
Go cool fair trade lines – we need more of em!
Today is Small Business Saturday! 30% off all purchases on our website today with the code SmBizSat.
Did you see our entry in the My Business Story contest? We entered it in the hopes of winning $5000 worth of google marketing, a check for $1750, and a spot on YouTube’s homepage the day before Small Business Saturday. We haven’t heard anything, so I think at this point it’s safe to say we didn’t win. We did, however, walk away with a nice video and the very fun experience of making it (those laughs at the end are genuine)!
Besides the filming, another very entertaining part of this process was sizing up our competitors. I wanted to share a selection of some of our favorites with you. Enjoy!
You can check out all 307 entries and find videos of small businesses in your local area here.
About a month ago I had the pleasure of posing for Mata’s Spring/Summer 2012 catalog shoot. It was on location in New Buffalo, MI which I had never visited before, and it was absolutely perfect. The sun shining, the sand between my toes, and the clothes…the clothes! Mata is showing bright colors for the spring and summer, and it makes me happy.
shooting on a rocky edge
the gorgeous model, Mallika
taking advantage of the beautiful lighting during sunset
just another hard day's work
Pretty dreamy, huh? The block printed fabrics (as usual) are fantastic. I already have a ‘my favorites’ list going for the collection! Thank you to Bree for my sweet ‘milk maid’ braids, to Taylor for being an awesome photographer, and to Nora for being the hostess with the mostest! After the shoot I don’t think I stopped smiling for a week!
-Laura
When we first traveled to India in 2003/2004, there were several books we read that gave us insight into the status of women in Indian society. One book in particular still stands out – May You Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons: A Journey Among the Women of India by Elisabeth Bumiller. The book really provides a thorough investigation of the diversity – and commonality – of the Indian woman’s experience, and it became a big influence in why we do what we do here at Mata. After I read it, I thought I knew pretty much all there was to know about the hardships and downright horrible treatment women in India face, from arranged marriage and female infanticide to bride burning and the expectation to throw themselves on their husbands’ funeral pyre. Well, I didn’t know about this…
The Associated Press: 285 Indian girls shed ‘unwanted’ names:
By CHAYA BABU, Associated Press, October 22, 2011
MUMBAI, India (AP) — More than 200 Indian girls whose names mean “unwanted” in Hindi have chosen new names for a fresh start in life.
A central Indian district held a renaming ceremony Saturday that it hopes will give the girls new dignity and help fight widespread gender discrimination that gives India a skewed gender ratio, with far more boys than girls.
The 285 girls — wearing their best outfits with barrettes, braids and bows in their hair — lined up to receive certificates with their new names along with small flower bouquets from Satara district officials in Maharashtra state.
In shedding names like “Nakusa” or “Nakushi,” which mean “unwanted” in Hindi, some girls chose to name themselves after Bollywood stars such as “Aishwarya” or Hindu goddesses like “Savitri.” Some just wanted traditional names with happier meanings, such as “Vaishali,” or “prosperous, beautiful and good.”
“Now in school, my classmates and friends will be calling me this new name, and that makes me very happy,” said a 15-year-old girl who had been named Nakusa by a grandfather disappointed by her birth. She chose the new name “Ashmita,” which means “very tough” or “rock hard” in Hindi.
The plight of girls in India came to a focus after this year’s census showed the nation’s sex ratio had dropped over the past decade from 927 girls for every 1,000 boys under the age of 6 to 914.
Maharashtra state’s ratio is well below that, with just 883 girls for every 1,000 boys — down from 913 a decade ago. In the district of Satara, it is even lower, at 881.
Such ratios are the result of abortions of female fetuses, or just sheer neglect leading to a higher death rate among girls. The problem is so serious in India that hospitals are legally banned from revealing the gender of an unborn fetus in order to prevent sex-selective abortions, though evidence suggests the information gets out.
Part of the reason Indians favor sons is the enormous expense of marrying off girls. Families often go into debt arranging marriages and paying for elaborate dowries. A boy, on the other hand, will one day bring home a bride and dowry. Hindu custom also dictates that only sons can light their parents’ funeral pyres.
Over the years, and again now, efforts have been made to fight the discrimination.
“Nakusa is a very negative name as far as female discrimination is concerned,” said Satara district health officer Dr. Bhagwan Pawar, who came up with the idea for the renaming ceremony.
Other incentives, announced by federal or state governments every few years, include free meals and free education to encourage people to take care of their girls, and even cash bonuses for families with girls who graduate from high school.
Activists say the name “unwanted,” which is widely given to girls across India, gives them the feeling they are worthless and a burden.
“When the child thinks about it, you know, ‘My mom, my dad, and all my relatives and society call me unwanted,’ she will feel very bad and depressed,” said Sudha Kankaria of the organization Save the Girl Child. But giving these girls new names is only the beginning, she said.
“We have to take care of the girls, their education and even financial and social security, or again the cycle is going to repeat,” she said.
It wasn’t long ago that I was visiting India for the first time and falling in love with the sheer wonder of the MARKET….so much gorgeous, colorful, kitschy, one of a kind stuff can be found on travel adventures. This website, Latitude, is pure shoppers’ zen in my book: the founder spent a lot of time traveling Asia and collecting one-of-a-kind items and then turned her passion into a web business.
Check out this article “Way off the Runway” for more about travelers who have turned their global shopping adventures into successful business models.
Calling all Mata fans in Bloomington, Indiana…!!! Mata’s coming to town and walking the runway. Students at IU are putting on a fair trade fashion show and doing their part in giving fair trade a chance to shine!
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