Mata Traders

Crop Top

Laura — Wed, 16 May 2012 01:20:32 +0000

I could wear Mata’s ‘Aurora Crop Top‘ an embarrassing amount of times. It’s a great staple piece!

The neutral color allows you to mix and match it in numerous ways.

Casual:

(‘Something Blue Necklace‘, shorts/IOU, ‘Wire Cuff Gold Ring‘)

and Dressy:

( ‘Fanciful Earrings‘, clutch/Nyla Noor, shoes/Empress Antiquary, ‘Bastille Bracelet‘, skirt/Loverly Miss)

Eazy Peazy!

xoLaura

Happy Mother’s Day!

Jonit — Sun, 13 May 2012 21:14:42 +0000

We’ve said this before, but just in case you missed it, Mata means mother in Hindi. For that reason, and because we work with women’s cooperatives, we tend to get a little into Mother’s Day. So here’s a special Mother’s Day post.

Happy Mother’s Day to our mothers: Nora, Camille, and Fran! Here’s Nora in the Tallulah dress:

And Happy Mother’s Day to my 97 year old grandma, Harriet.

A few month’s back, she fell and ended up with a small fracture in her hip. Thankfully she didn’t need surgery. During rehab, one of her nurses complimented the Grant Park dress I was wearing.

That nurse is now one of our biggest fans. Happy Mother’s Day, Tiffany! The Jennifer blouse she’s wearing is on sale for only $18!!

Happy World Fair Trade Day & Free Earrings!

Jonit — Thu, 10 May 2012 23:20:00 +0000

Window Shopping

Jonit — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:40:52 +0000

Bliss, in Knoxville, Tennessee, is known for its artful display of inventory throughout the store and in its window displays – which is pretty evident here: how cute do the Frida Loves Diego and Dahlia dresses look in their window?

When in Knoxville, don’t miss this delightful shopping experience, voted best store in East Tennessee in 2010 and 2011. An alternative to the standard retail store, Bliss curates a wide variety of gifts, women’s apparel, accessories, and jewelry – all unique pieces that you don’t find everyday. We’re so honored to be included in their shop!

Trending; Spring 2012

Laura — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:19:04 +0000

Let’s talk spring trends!

Prints are still being seen all over the runways:

Bold

Graphic

and Colorful.

Other trends included 20’s Deco looks:

Designers jumped back to the roaring 20’s for silhouette inspiration.

The Great Gatsby was widely referenced.

and Cropped Tops:

Start doing your crunches, ladies. Cropped tops and even bra tops were shown for spring. I think they look best with higher waists – something that covers your belly button.

Mata’s pieces are so right on for the upcoming season. I could go on and on about their spring/summer line (peplums, jumpsuits!, and more), but they are best known for color and hand-block prints, which are the heavy hitters this spring.

A Mata for every Mata

Jonit — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 22:20:44 +0000

Mata means mother in Hindi, y’all, and Mata Traders was so named in part to honor the women at our cooperatives.

So, what to get for the mothers you know and love on this Mother’s Day? We’ve got some fabulous gift suggestions for all the mothers in your life!

For the expecting or new mom, the Sula dress is perfect in several ways. For one thing, the billowy cut is roomy enough for a growing belly, as seen here on Mata Mama, Emily, at 8 1/2 months pregnant.

But that’s not all: once baby is here, the tie shoulder straps provide easy access to boobie release for breast feeding. No need to pull the dress up to your shoulders. Just untie, unclip one of those special breast feeding bras, and you’re ready. Do you know of any other dress that does that?

This season, the Sula dress comes in 3 prints to choose from: blue, green, and rust.

For the young, hip mom, well, just about any Mata will work for her. But, I’m recommending the Sweet Escape dress paired with a tie dye scarf and diamond earrings. The Sweet Escape is a comfortable, multifunctional dress that you can dress up for a special occasion or dress down for everyday activities. Throw it on with flip-flops for errands, pair it with nicer sandals for a picnic, or style it with pumps for date night. The dress has wide enough straps to hide bra straps, and the empire silhouette is a flattering fit, accentuating the bust while camouflaging the waist. The dress comes in 2 original Mata block prints: black and white and yellow pineapple. If you want to give her a complete look, try our new and super-soft tie dyed scarves with hand embroidery (in black or teal) and a pair of funky, lightweight diamond earrings (in silver or gold).

For the mature, stylish mom, – her kids are getting older now but she still likes to put together a good look – I recommend the Samba skirt, the Bolero jacket, and the Macrame necklace. The jacket is a bargain, on sale for only $15, and the multi-strand, beaded Macrame necklace, which is always a good deal at $22, is one of our perennial best sellers and comes in gold, teal, purple, red, orange, light blue, green, and yellow.

For grandma, the Silver Ring necklace is a fool-proof choice – she’ll absolutely love it! She can wear it long or double it up. Grandmas like to match, and since this necklace has just about every color in it, I guarantee she’ll say, “It goes with everything!” Two more great gift ideas for grandma: the Embroidered stole and a set of Toiletry bags.

ps. If you’re looking for a dress for grandma, we’ve found that a surprising number of old ladies at street festivals buy the Sula dress (the one recommended above for pregnant and nursing moms).

pps. For even more gift ideas, check out all of our fair trade products!

Grandma tattoo art

Maureen — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:19:32 +0000

Our inventory manager, Bree, sporting the At First Glance top – she looked so cute I had to snap a pic. Pretty fierce tattoo there, huh? It’s an image of her grandma, Mamee, who Bree says is the biggest influence in her life. So in honor of all the ladies in our life who inspire and nurture us, Happy Mother’s Day! Don’t forget to tell your moms, grandmas, and aunts that you love them.:)

Speaking of Mom’s – we’ve got some great Mother’s Day gifts on offer – here are my picks:

Earth Week!

Laura — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 19:37:16 +0000

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

I celebrated Earth Day by having a mini picnic and wearing Mata’s ‘Blue Belle Dress‘.

By choosing to wear Mata’s clothing you are making a difference. Usually fashion is seen as having a negative effect on our planet (lots of dyes and chemicals are used to produce garments). Luckily for us, most of Mata Traders’ pieces are hand block printed with eco-friendly vegetable dyes. Mata also uses fair trade cotton, which means they support small family farms and follow environmental standards that restrict the use of agrochemicals and encourage sustainability.

Love it! Some other ways you can show the earth some love:

>plant something! I want to plant some herbs/veggies for cooking.

>turn off the lights and have a candlelit dinner! It sets the mood.

>turn off your iPhone and play a real board game with your friends!

>and don’t forget to shop Mata!

It’s like Maureen always says, “Everything is connected. The point is to know it and understand it.”

xoLaura

Glitter girls

Maureen — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:01:53 +0000

Our intern, Carmen, came in the other day with gold nail polish and a solo sparkly nail.

Bree, our newest employee, got so inspired she painted her nails sparkly, too. Who will be the next Mata girl to jump on this trend? I’m betting Joni.

Editor’s Note (Editor is Jonit aka Joni): You’re right, Mo…I’ve been eyeing the sparkly polish for months now.

Let’s Talk Ikat

Laura — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:01:14 +0000

Ikat is a print known and loved around the world. Mata uses ikat prints in many of their pieces, and, as we all know, Mata’s pieces are handmade by Indian women artisans. I thought I’d delve into this world of ikat and really see what is behind the scenes. I was in for a surprise. Hopes of a DIY ikat project were shattered when I found out how intricate this process is. I didn’t even know how to pronounce ikat correctly until I heard Maureen say it; it is pronounced ‘ee-kaht.’ It is a style of weaving where the yarn is dyed in zigzag or geometric patterns. The weaver chooses the exact pattern by wrapping the yarns with wax and clay before dipping it in different dyes. It is like a puzzle that gets more complicated with each color that is in the ikat design. Since the threads are dyed before they are woven it gives an “inaccurate” color distribution resulting in the enchanting blurred edges of the finished product.

Ikat weaving may have originated in the Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Time-wise, it is unknown how far back ikat textiles go (some say 10th century). A strip of ikat fabric was an extremely prized possession and status symbol because of the time and precision it took to make each piece. Trade and European travelers brought ikat west, where it has had a great influence on the design world ever since. Here are some examples of how ikat is used currently in interior design:

And used in fashion design:

It is such a beautiful, exotic, and romantic print. Here I am wearing Mata’s new ikat shorts – the quintessential spring/summer item. A simple Must Have.

And don’t forget about Mata’s ‘Adobe Diamonds Dress!’
(I love this dress with cowboy boots)

Once you understand the complexity of the craft it means so much more to look at the clothing you are wearing – a piece that Mata’s women lovingly and carefully made using ancient techniques! I’m in love.

xoLaura

(Photo credits: galenfrysinger.com, pinterest.com, toms.com, matatraders.com)