Ethical Fashion Blog

SPRING/SUMMER LOVE

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.

WANDERLUST SHOPPING AND THE QUEST FOR COOL STUFF

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.

MATA ARRIVES IN BLOOMINGTON, VIA THE RUNWAY

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!

AIRING HER DIRTY LAUNDRY

Congratulations to Human Rights Watch for their successful campaign to have New York Fashion Week cancel Gulnara Karimova’s show, daughter of Uzbekistan’s long-standing dictator. She was scheduled to present her spring line on the prestigious runway, but HRW and other rights organizations intervened to voice their concerns about her role in her father’s tyrannical government.

WE WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW.

There is a kidney disease epidemic happening in western Nicaragua. In one town, called La Isla, 70% of the men and 30% of the women have it. People in the area refer to the town, where 30% of the households are headed by widows, as La Isla de las Viudas — The Island of Widows.

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN A CHILD’S INDIA

Chicago, we are in the midst of our 28^th annual Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy the amazing works this fest brings to the big screen year after year. Of course, kids love them, too…so if you happen to have ’em, bring ’em along!

GLOBALFEST – BE THERE AND BE FAIR

Join the celebration at Chicago Fair Trade’s annual gala featuring fair trade wine and cocktails, appetizers, and special Day of the Dead brew. Find elegant fair trade treasures in the silent auction. Global fest will celebrate the growing consumer support for products that guarantee a fair wage and social benefits to workers.

A FAIR WEEKEND IN CHICAGO

There are two very cool events coming up this weekend in Chicago.

The first is STOP TRAFFICK’s annual fundraiser on Saturday evening at the beautiful Intuit Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, at 756 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago.

The other awesome event is Old St. Pat’s Solidarity Market, happening Sunday from 9am – 1pm at 700 West Adams Street in Chicago.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THE CO-OP?

Mata Traders’ fair trade clothing is made in India and Nepal by women’s cooperatives. Last summer I got the chance to visit three of them. I had a great time meeting all the women and getting to know their stories. I even interviewed several women on video with the translation help of social worker, Sampada, who took me on a tour of her co-op.

VISIT DONNA’S DRESS SHOP!

If you’re ever in Kansas City be sure to stop by Donna’s Dress Shop. Situated in KC’s hip Midtown neighborhood, you can shop new & used clothing, books, and more all in one block. Donna’s is carefully curated by the lovely Donna herself (check out her awesome aesthetic in the photos below). The Shop is filled with vintage curios and new Fall styles from Mata Traders fair trade fashion and other brands we love like Nooworks, Global Mamas, Many Belles Down, and Tulle.

The Chicago Uniform Project

In May 2009, Sheena Matheiken put on a little black dress and didn’t take it off for a year. Well, that’s not exactly accurate because I’m sure she took it off to sleep and wash, but the point is that she wore that dress everyday for a year and ended up raising over $100,000 for the charity Akanksha Foundation.

COLORFUL INDIA

This post will be a recurring segment to highlight just how colorful India really is. If you like these, I encourage you to visit our Photos page (top right sidebar) to see the best of the best photos from our travels. India is a very colorful place indeed.

VISITING THE BLOCKPRINTERS

Maureen and Kristin are in India at the moment working with the co-ops on next Spring’s collection and even getting started on Fall 2012. This past weekend they visited one of the block printers where we source our fabric. Maureen said they got a lot of great photos and video, and it motivated me to finally get these pictures up from last summer when Michelle and I visited another block printer we use.

PETITION FOR JUSTICE

If you’re a fan of Mata Traders, you probably care about how your clothes were made. It’s true that all over the world, people are being exploited – or worse – making the clothing that we wear everyday.

STRETCHING OUT SUMMER

This weekend is the “last weekend of summer” and I’ve been living it up and wearing my most summery pieces, as tomorrow is the last day to wear white…(does anyone follow that rule anymore?)

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