As someone whose business partners had babies 3 years ago, I know the value of childcare. This Mother’s Day, I’d like to point out how special it is that the sewing cooperatives we work with have childcare available.
Continue Reading
Ethical Fashion Blog
If you are in the Chicago area, join us for the biggest fair trade event in the USA! Chicago Fair Trade’s annual 2-day World Fair Trade festival and market will take place at Daley Plaza from 9am to 6pm on Wednesday, May 4, and Thursday, May 5. Come visit Mata at our booth, where we will be selling a large selection of clothing and jewelry, including sale items and one-of-a-kind samples!
Continue Reading
On April 24, 2013, 1,124 people were killed and over 2,500 injured when the Rana Plaza garment factory collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Fashion Revolution Day was started to honor the memory of the workers who lost their lives and to advocate for brands to ensure the safety of the people who make their clothes. At Mata Traders, we share the core belief central to Fashion Revolution: that fashion can and should be made in a safe, clean, and beautiful way, where the people who make our clothing are valued and paid a fair wage.
Continue Reading
Anxious for spring? Check out these two ethical outfits we’ve compiled that will help make the remaining winter weeks a little cozier and brighter.
Continue Reading
After the turn out for our Autumn/Winter 2016 Focus Group in early January, two things are certain:
Fall ’16 samples are here, which can only mean one thing – we need your help! We have to whittle this collection down to a lean, mean, stylish fair trade machine, and your opinions matter!
If you’ve fished around our site at all lately, you’ve noticed – we have a new look! Our old website had been up since 2007 so we were well overdue for an upgrade. Imagine our delight when we found just the person for the job – Jess from June Letters Studio. Her designs are clean and refreshing, and her hand lettering is to die for. We knew in an instant that she was the perfect person to handle the new Mata look moving forward.
Need a last minute outfit for the holidays? We’ve compiled a collection of ethical and fair trade products that wil...
Continue Reading
Exciting news! The Mata Dressember team has already reached their fundraising goal of $1,000! Thank you so much to all those who have donated – your support will help fight slavery and human trafficking throughout the world. You can still donate to Mata’s Dressember team through the end of the month, and be part of a movement that has already collectively raised over $400,000 in the first two weeks of December!
You’ve got a conundrum. It’s that time of year to start your holiday shopping, and we’re certain there’s one thing you’re probably not looking forward to. It’s not the crowds or anxiously waiting for sales.
Continue Reading
Our newest video, just in time to cap off Fair Trade Month! Meet more of the women who make Mata Traders’ garments and hear from them directly to learn how your purchase makes a difference in their lives. Please excuse my less-than-stellar videography skills. Special thanks to Rick Romanowski for editing the footage and the Andreas Kapsalis Trio for the musical accompaniment.
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
India is the kind of place where a Mercedes Benz will pull up next to an ox cart at a stop light, and a man in an ...
Continue Reading