Ethical Fashion Blog

Check out this short video to see the process of how our upcycled bone jewelry is made!

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.

From our coverage of the Earthquake in Nepal in April, you know that members of our partner cooperative in Kathmandu were safe, although many suffered family losses and damage to their homes. Now relief efforts are underway and are slowly providing assistance in rebuilding communities. Life goes on, and despite the setbacks that the earthquake caused, we are happy to report that our Nepali cooperative has had many successful accomplishments this year.

If you read our blog regularly, you know that one of the perks of being a member of a fair trade cooperative is the opportunity to take classes and attend workshops. One of our artisan cooperatives recently updated us on what they’ve been doing– they’ve been celebrating and learning quite a bit!A

This past Saturday a horrific natural disaster struck the heart of Mata Traders’ artisan community. A magnitude 7.9 earthquake shook Nepal just after noon, with a strong aftershock occurring an hour later. Buildings were flattened, centuries-old temples were destroyed, and an earthquake-triggered avalanche on Mount Everest killed 17, injuring over 60 others. Smaller jolts hit the region for hours afterwards, leaving many buildings unstable, and causing panic among the people. Thousands have taken to the streets, sleeping outside in the rain and cold to avoid further building collapses, and access to drinking water and food remain a huge problem. With survivors still being pulled out of the rubble, it will take days until we know the full impact of the quake. It will take many years until the densely populated, and largely impoverished Himalayan country can come back from such a horrible event.

A few weeks ago, we discovered a campaign created by the Canadian Fair Trade Network. It highlights the point that a garment’s tag really doesn’t tell you much. Made in India, huh?

On this day of giving thanks, we’d be remiss if we didn’t voice our heartfelt thanks to you, our customers. From all of us at Mata Traders and the artisans we partner with, we thank you for your support!

We love the ladies who create Mata dresses! On our recent visit to India, we were able to spend some time getting to know many more of the talented artisans behind our products. Today, meet Gita, a skilled seamstress at the cooperative we work with in Mumbai.

We have soooooo much to be thankful for this year!

Our customers who support us and sustain our growth as a company.

A few months ago, I told you about Sunita, a once-shy and exploited artisan who found empowerment through fair trade.  She started her own fair trade artisan cooperative, called Sunita Handicrafts, and Mata Traders is one of their customers.  Her group has made such pieces as the Tiered Wooden Necklace: