By The Trolleys with Mata Traders!

I am so excited to be working with the amazing Mata Traders! Mata Traders is an awesome company because they offer amazing, quality items that are handmade by women's cooperatives and artisan groups in India and Nepal. What's great about this company is that they practice fair trade. Fair trade means that the workers who are making these beautiful items are being paid fare wages in a safe working environment. Some of the workers even work from home! In a country where child labor is prevalent, companies like Mata Traders are working to fight against it by offering jobs to people in poverty who are trying to earn some extra money for their families. I'm happy to work with such a wonderful company that is really working to make a difference.









Mata Traders uses traditional methods of fabric making. Their clothing is handwoven and they use a technique for patterns called block-printing, which is kind of like a stamp for clothing. These items are made with such precision and care and it's really amazing the work that goes into each piece and how talented all of the producers are!







When Mata Traders contacted me, they requested I do some remixes of an item. I chose this pretty blue dress with hand-embroidered detailing and a block-printed pattern. I love the detail near the collar and hem of the dress. I also love that it has secret pockets in the sides of the skirt! Dresses with pockets are always awesome.

Dress: Marketplace Dress c/o Mata Traders//Belt: Gap (thrifted)//Shoes: Dana Buchman

This is the first way I styled this beauty. I wanted to keep it simple to show off the dress, but I didn't want it to be too bland, so I added in some pops of color with the belt and shoes. I like a lot of color in my spring/summer outfits. I've been liking blue and green together, lately. I might be using those colors in my new bedroom, but I'm still not 100% certain on it. Anyway...this dress makes for a great spring/summery look, and blue is so easy to work in with a lot of different color combos. It's also really comfortable and easy to wear, which is great in the heat. Stay tuned for future remixes of this dress!