Connect with Mayu’s Twitter, Facebook and blog for more on alpaca, eco-fashion, and fun Fair Trade adventures!

Mayu would like to present a guest post from Laddhavan Sutana, our esteemed designer from Chicago. Without her, Mayu’s accessories would not be the snazzy and fabulous pieces of art that they are! Here Laddhavan provides the answer to one pivotal question:

When did I decide to become a clothing designer?

I don’t know, really. I do not ever remember saying I was going to grow up to be a designer. This was before Project Runway and celeb designed labels.  I always was an artistic kid and drew lots of pictures of glamorous women and copied pictures of period costumes in books-paying close attention to seam lines, ruffles, and other design features. In middle school I was awarded best artist and best dressed. I guess my fate to become a clothing designer was sealed at an early age.

After graduating from high school in Wisconsin, I moved myself down to Chicago to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for the fashion program. It was a very creative driven curriculum with no business orientation. I was not a stellar student as I felt I wanted to go more into the direction of designing with the intent to sell instead of designing for runway “wow” factor. I did take from it some technical skills like pattern making from draping and designing a cohesive collection.  I also took a knitwear design and construction class and that was when I learned how to knit by hand and on the hand loom.

I fell in love with knitwear and apprenticed with my instructor, who had her own small design company. She taught me the most wonderful skill of doing fully fashioned knits on the loom and exceptional hand finishing techniques. I was doing production for her and eventually was given a knitting loom to use at home to work at my own hours. I was also fortunate enough to land several more jobs with other small design companies after graduating from college in 1999.

I worked in fashion as design assistant, designer, and pattern maker…and also odd jobs in between. Eventually, I decided to do my own thing and in 2003, launched my company, Sutana Clothing Co. The hours were long, but I was driven and loved what I was doing. I was selling to 14 stores and venues and working non stop doing all the designing and patterning, some sewing, and all the knitting and finishing. I took on several interns to help out, but the hours caught up with me and after filling my Spring 2007 collection, I went on hiatus with the intent to return in a couple seasons.

Then the economy took a nose dive and I decided to sit out since I was feeling burned out still from fashion and felt like I needed to go in a new direction. I still love to design, but focus more on the technical like production management, pattern making, styling.

In October 2009 I became a first time mom to a baby boy who is growing quickly to become the next energizer bunny. While I am spending my days in domestic bliss, my mind is never far away from the next collection.

Thanks Laddhavan! What an adorable cutie-pie! We hope to hear more from you soon as Mayu continues to develop their upcoming fall collection! Keep checking back with Mayu’s blog, Twitter, and Facebook for more on eco-fashion, Fair Trade, and sustainability news!

Visited the Victory Ranch Alpaca Farm in Mora, New Mexico and came across this sign. Sums everything up just about perfectly. Enough said!

Connect with Mayu on Twitter, Facebook and our blog for exciting news about Peru, artisans, sustainability, eco-fashion, fair trade, and hand-knit alpaca.

To this end, a new exhibit is taking place now at the FIT in New York City. All of the pieces on display will reflect at least one of these themes:

• the repurposing and recycling of materials
• material origins
• textile dyeing and production
• quality of craftsmanship
• labor practices
• the treatment of animals

This exhibit will be on display through November 13th of this year, and is sure to be a highly educational, aesthetically pleasing, and progressive experience. Be sure to visit the museum’s website, and keep checking back with Mayu’s blog, Twitter, and Facebook for more on eco-fashion, Fair Trade, and sustainability news!

Our next Guest Blogger is Megy Karydes. Megy is the founder of World Shoppe , a fair trade jewelry and women’s accessories importing business that works with artisans in South Africa. World Shoppe is a proud and active member of the Fair Trade Federation and Megy was also a founding board member of Chicago Fair Trade, working to promote fair trade in her hometown.

After being invited to visit South Africa by the South African Consulate, I knew my life would change. After working to support fair trade as an e-boutique for the past 6 years, this was my opportunity to work directly with artisans which was the initial goal when I launched World Shoppe (www.World-Shoppe.com) six years ago.

I was among 19 international delegates who were invited to visit the country in the hopes that we would meet artisans and form a working relationship by importing their handmade items to our respective countries. Only 5 were from the United States and each of us came to the trip with different backgrounds, experience and interests.

I’ve been involved in the fair trade movement for over a decade. I began volunteering at a fair trade shop near my home when I first learned what fair trade was all about and how it allowed women to have a voice and contribute to their family and communities. Since then, I launched by e-boutique to offer fashionable and affordable fair trade jewelry, gifts and home accessories to socially-conscious consumers. But one of my earliest goals was to work directly with artisans to make the most impact and that was one of the reasons the trip to South Africa was so important to me.

It was during this trip that I met Carol, an amazingly talented artist who employs 18 artisans in the Western Cape province. The group produces copper and brass jewelry featuring semi-precious gemstones such as hematite, onyx, jade, carnelian and tiger’s eye. As soon as I saw the pieces, I knew we would be working together. The pieces were nothing like I had seen in the United States. They were bold, high-quality and resembled jewelry I have seen in artsy galleries, shops I frequent when looking for unique gifts. And, more importantly, they were produced using fair trade principles.

Within a week of returning to the United States, I had already photographed the samples I had purchased and sent them to some retailer friends for their opinion. All of them loved the pieces. I quickly put together an order and became a wholesaler. I booked my first trade show, put together a wholesale price list and began sharing the news with retailers.

Retailers across the country are quickly responding to consumers seeking out more fair trade items by stocking more fair trade in their shops. It’s been particularly exciting and rewarding to me because I share my successes with my artisans. When we’re featured in a national magazine article, I send them a copy of the article. When I get a new retailer customer, I email them to let them know. When a customer shares a picture of her wearing one of their designs, I share it with them, too. It’s important to me that we remember the reason we support fair trade – it’s because of the people. Yes, we need to have a profitable and sustainable business in order to succeed and employ more artisans, but the fact of the matter is that what gets me up in the morning is knowing that what I’m doing every day is making a difference.

According to the World Bank, an estimated 2.7 billion people in the world exist on less than $2 a day. That’s unnecessary.   It is my hope that one day we can all live with dignity and respect for one another. I feel honored and privileged to be working with my artisan partners and am looking forward to working with more women in the coming months. I hope you’ll join me for the journey!

Sincerely,

Megy Karydes, Founder

World Shoppe www.World-Shoppe.com

www.Facebook.com/worldshoppe

www.twitter.com/worldshoppe

For more information on World Shoppe, head over to their site. They have beautiful products that help out wonderful global causes. Keep checking back for more updates on artisans, sustainability and fair-trade.

Follow us via Twitter@shopmayu, our blog or Facebook!

♥Mayu♥

Mother’s Day is only a few days away (May 9th!) and we want to help you find the perfect gift! We are sad to see our Halfies go, but we must make room for next season’s designs. So, make sure to snatch one up at an amazing price of $79 (normally $139). The Halfies are perfect for cool spring days and summer nights. We promise your Mom will love it!

Happy Mother’s Day and keep checking back to our Blog for more product updates! You can also follow us via Twitter@shopmayu, RSS or Facebook!

♥Mayu♥

Mayu-Hand Knit Alpaca Clothing Review

I recently won a Mayu ruffle scarf in chocolate brown on Mayu’s blog. I was very excited to win this item and couldn’t wait to see what it looked like in person! I received my scarf very quickly and was blown away by how beautifully knit this scarf was. I’ve never felt real Alpaca wool and let me tell you, it’s amazingly soft.

Our next Guest Blogger is Naomi from MayaWorks. MayaWorks markets the work of Maya artisans who otherwise have no outlet for their handiwork. As a proud member of the Fair Trade Federation, MayaWorks pays artisans at prices they set, provides technical assistance and educational opportunities and meets other Fair Trade criteria. We hope you enjoy Naomi and Vincenta’s story as much as we do!

The Power of Fair Trade: MayaWorks Helps indigenous Artisans Help Themselves

Vicenta is a MayaWorks artisan from the small mountain village of Xetonox (pronounced She-toe-nosh), in Técpan Guatemala. She is a 57 years old and has endured a very difficult life.  Her parents were poor indigenous Maya farmers who could not send her to school past the third grade where she learned to read and write. Like many women in Guatemala, Vicenta is caring for a large family: 8 children, 3 of which are boys and 5 who are girls.

Vicenta has been working for MayaWorks for 12 years. A fiercely adventurous woman, Vicenta created the Xetonox group with her daughter Marcela and has been able to secure an income largely supported by the sale of her handicrafts. She is very happy to have the opportunity to work from home and care for her children instead of spending long days in the field harvesting crops. The elaboration of her products has been her main source of revenue, since it has allowed her to support her children to continue studying and to cover their primary necessities.

Vicenta has received capacity building trainings from MayaWorks so that she has learned to weave 36” width fabric, and creates a number of products including wine bags, kitchen towels and aprons, and fabric by the yard. With the trainings that she has received, she has been able to contribute to her family and to her community.  The technical trainings have helped her improve her work and the quality of her products.

In addition to the work provided by sales of handicrafts, she also receive small microcredit loans from MayaWorks. With her husband, Vicenta cultivates potatoes that she sells locally. The sales from these crops provided income to purchase a used car to transport supplies and tools to the field and to transport her crop to the market.

Vicenta is proud of what she has been able to achieve, especially in a country like Guatemala where being and indigenous woman can have its challenges. Vicenta has greatly benefited from the work that MayaWorks has provided her. It has provided economic development that has benefited not only her family but also her weaving group and her community.

For more information on MayWorks head over to their site. They have beautiful products that help out wonderful global causes. Check back next week for another World’s Working Women posting and don’t forget to sign up for our Ruffle Scarf Giveaway! Keep checking back for more updates on artisans, sustainability and fair-trade.

Follow us via Twitter@shopmayu, our blog or Facebook!

Mayu’s Ruffle Scarf Giveaway!

Mayu is having our FIRST giveaway contest and we want to make sure you have the chance to win a beautiful chocolate brown ruffle scarf. This ECO-FRIENDLY, FAIRLY-TRADED, ALPACA scarf is our most popular product and retails for $119! There are two easy ways to enter and spread the love for Mayu. Entry only takes 1 minute, so give it a shot! The giveaway closes April 16th at 10AM. Each person is limited to one entry and the winner will be selected randomly and notified immediately. Good luck!

How Likely Are You to Recommend Mayu?

This month we asked to hear from you, our lovely customers and friends! Many of you received our request for feedback on Mayu’s customer service. If you didn’t already respond, please take 20 seconds to fill out the survey . Customer service is so important to us and we want to hear your thoughts and comments. Any ideas or suggestions you have, we are more than happy to listen, so please, keep ‘em coming!

Association of Alpaca Apparel

Last month Mayu launched the Association of Alpaca Apparel, a global network inspired by the cultivation, production and distribution of products made with pure alpaca fiber. The goal is to use AAA as a platform to converse and learn from others involved in the sale of alpaca apparel. With the support of our network, we hope to provide unlimited opportunity for South American alpaca farmers and artisans who produce high quality alpaca apparel. Friends, please visit us on Ning at Association of Alpaca Apparel. We have some fantastic things planned for our community!

Calling All Bloggers: World’s Working Women

Mayu is conducting a blog series through the month of April profiling companies working directly with women artisans or producers. The series, World’s Working Women , focuses on individual female artisans or artisan groups working around the globe. We have heard so many wonderful stories over the past few years and we want to give you the chance to hear them too! This week we profiled Joyce, an amazing paper-beader in Uganda. Please check out her incredible story and stay tuned for next week’s story.

So that about wraps it up for now. Just a few reminders:

• We still have a couple long Rayas Hoodies left (at an incredible price of $99) so head over to Mayu and snap one up!
• Kate is off to Peru this summer, so stay tuned for some great blogs and news on the upcoming Fall 2010 line and
• As always, please pass along the Mayu love to your friends. We love meeting new people and exchanging ideas with them. We are super easy to get a hold of–you can follow us via Twitter@shopmayu, our blog or Facebook!

Have a great week and we look forward to hearing from you!

The Mayu Team

Mayu is kicking off this week with a Guest Blogger series we are really excited about. Each week, through the month of April, we are profiling women artisans abroad. We have reached out to some incredible friends and asked them to share their experiences working with women artisans and producers. The stories that came back are amazing and we hope you find them just as heartwarming and inspiring.

Our first Guest Blogger is Holly from Fair Earth. Fair Earth  is a socially conscious and earth-friendly company that produces and markets high quality fair trade merchandise from East Africa. Fair Earth features beautiful products, from baskets to stationary, so please be sure to check out their site and support the artisans. We hope you enjoy Holly and Joyce’s story as much as we do!

Meet Joyce – One of our paper beaders

One of my favorite parts of the time I spend in Uganda working on product development is visiting the homes of our artisans.

Each time I visit I am flooded with a wealth of love, generosity, SPIRIT, and ALIVENESS that makes my heart glow.

A few days ago I visited Joyce and her three sons – Paul, Mark, and Solomon. Joyce is one of Fair Earth’s paper beaders. Incidentally, we are neighbors in Uganda, as their home is just a short walk from where I stay in Luzira.

I was greeted warmly and served a delicious lunch of matoke, pumpkin, rice, and soup upon arriving. I immediately noticed the incredibly creative Christmas decorations in their home – Paul, Joyce’s eldest son, had cut his old school papers into triangular shapes and strung them along the ceiling to create a festive holiday atmosphere. The breeze coming through the door made the papers flutter and cast sparkling shadows throughout the room – it was absolutely delightful.

We spent the afternoon looking through photos, exchanging stories, and then working on new products.

“My mom is a good mom,” Paul told me proudly as we looked through their family photo album. “She takes very good care of us.”

All three boys adore their mom. I gave Joyce some glass beads for her to use in supplementing her paper bead designs, and immediately the boys were looking for colors that would compliment their mother’s dress.

As the stories kept coming, I learned more about their love and respect for her—it is based upon a very real knowledge of how hard their mom works to put them through school. Joyce did not get an education, which means her opportunities for employment are limited. Yet she has worked tirelessly so that her children will have more opportunities than she does.

Her pathway to her current work – making beads from recycled newspapers and magazines – has not been easy. She worked for a year and a half with NO PAY for the current mayor of Uganda cleaning up the streets of developing neighborhoods. I was heart-broken by the story. With no money for transport, she would leave home before the sun rose to walk hours to their work destination, pushing forward upon the promise of pending money, which never came. After becoming weak and sickly from long days of work with no food, Joyce’s mom told her she would die if she continued and taught her how to make paper beads as an alternative. That was eight years ago. I asked her if she took any action to try to get the money she was promised, and she replied, “there is nothing we can do. We are poor and uneducated. We have no power over the government. We would maybe have a voice if we had a lawyer, but we have no money for lawyers. So we just move on.”

These stories of injustice fill me with frustration and ANGER. However, I am also inspired and hopeful to be a part of a fair trade movement which puts people FIRST – a movement where respect, fairness, and integrity take precedence, and where success NEVER comes at the expense of another’s exploitation.

I am also happy to be working with Joyce, and delighted to see the joy and hope not only in her face, but also in the faces of her children!

Thanks for your support,

Sincerely,

Holly Elzinga

Don’t forget to sign up for our Ruffle Scarf Giveaway! Keep checking back for more updates on artisans, sustainability and fair-trade.

Follow us via Twitter@shopmayu, our blog or Facebook!