CHELSEA: MAYU INTERN / STUDENT / BIRTHDAY GIRL / IDEALIST / BILL-PAYER

September 6th, 2010

Chelsea wearing her Fair Trade (no joke!) tee-shirt, thinking visionary thoughts.

It is a sad time as Chelsea, one of Mayu’s lovely interns, is nearly finishing her internship with Mayu. I asked Chelsea to write a little something about herself so I could share her story and shed some light into what goes on behind the scenes at Mayu. Cheslesa, as well as Mayu’s past interns, have been instrumental in shaping and developing Mayu! Thank you, Chelsea. We will miss you!

Hey everyone! Happy Labor Day! It’s not very often that I get to write a blog post entirely about myself! SCORE! (I wrote this post in advance, so I’m not actually WORKING on LABOR DAY, that would be ironic.)

What have I to say? I have been interning at Mayu since May, and I have gained valuable experience in online marketing / business development, and even honed my writing skills in the process. Which is GREAT, because I am currently writing my Thesis on Fair Trade & Indigenous Cultures for my Master’s program in International Development.

I first became interested in Fair Trade while working in different coffeehouses in and around Southeast Michigan. Most Americans automatically think “COFFEE” when the topic of Fair Trade is breached, however there are so many more fairly-traded products available to us. Mayu does a wonderful job in that it is not only eco-friendly, sustainable, and fashion-forward, but also pays its artisans a fair wage for their hard labor (as it should be!). I hope to work to make more Fair Trade items readily available in shopping malls and supermarkets in the future!
Don’t go just yet, I have a LOT more to say about Fair Trade…

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HUAYNO DANCING WITH MAYU’S ARTISANS IN THE ANDES

September 5th, 2010

Kate Robertson, founder of Mayu, loooooves Huayno music! Huayno is a form of music that is indigenous to Peru, and the Andes Mountains. It dates to Pre-Hispanic times, and at present is very pervasive among Andeans – and Mayu’s alpaca artisans. The following video is a very entertaining clip of Kate dancing to Huayno music the day she arrived in Chiquian. It is a tradition that when Kate comes to town, she and the artisans party all night long! Take note of the green infinity bow scarf that Kate is wearing. It isn’t complete in this photo but the designs was being knit as the dancing was taking place. Mayu’s artisans have a very hard time letting go of their pieces. So, it was knit, dance, knit, dance, knit, dance…!

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What kind of dance is YOUR favorite? Leave a comment below! For more on Peruvian traditions and customs, stay tuned to our FB posts, Tweets and RSS Feed!

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ONE WEEK UNTIL MAYU ATTENDS FAIR TRADE FUTURES!

September 3rd, 2010

As some of you may know, the Fair Trade Futures Conference is being held in Boston, MA next week! This dynamic and exciting event only happens once every 5 years, and Mayu is super stoked to be in attendance this year! The conference will feature panels from producers, business owners and consumers, all to discuss and raise awareness about the Fair Trade movement. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the conference preparation:

We will be posting updates on the Fair Trade Futures Conference in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned to Mayu’s blog, Twitter, and Facebook for more!

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A COOL PROJECT, CHARITY : WATER’S SEPTEMBER PROJECT

September 1st, 2010

Worldwide, ONE BILLION people regularly go without clean drinking water. Fortunately, there are many admirable people working to correct this injustice. Charity : Water is a global non-profit that has implemented THREE THOUSAND clean water projects to date, in developing countries akin to the home of Mayu’s artisans: Peru. Since September is the anniversary of Charity : Water, they ask anyone that has a September birthday to not accept presents, but instead have their friends and families donate to their cause. See the vid below:

http://www.vimeo.com/14176808

Happy September, all, and help support this praiseworthy cause! Is your birthday in September? One Mayu intern’s is! Follow Mayu’s blog, Twitter, and Facebook for more on Stuff Mayu Loves, which include worthy charities and other amazing social justice endeavors!

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AND THE WINNER IS…

August 30th, 2010

Many of you were clamoring to get a piece of our Kelly Green Hoodie action! Unfortunately, there can only be one winner and that special person is MARTA LEWIS!
Thanks, all, for your fabulous comments! There will be a little special something for those “non-winning” participants too, so keep your eyes on your email.

We want to share why a couple of entrants just had to have one of Mayu’s fairtrade, eco alpaca hoodies:

Read the rest of this entry »

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MAYU’S AUGUST 2010 NEWSLETTER

August 27th, 2010

Hey everyone, please enjoy our Fall 2010 Newsletter (this should catch you up to date on everything Mayu)!

Mayu Hand Knit Alpaca

August 27, 2010

MAYU’S GIVE ME GIVE ME GREEN ALPACA GIVEAWAY

Just in time for autumn and the arrival of our NEW FALL DESIGNS, Mayu is having a FABULOUS giveaway contest and we want to make sure you have the chance to win a gorgeous Kelly Green Long Rayas Hoodie. This ECO-FRIENDLY, FAIRLY-TRADED, ALPACA hoodie is an incredibly popular product (only a few left!) and retails for $180! So warm, so stylish, a perfect addition to your fall wardrobe!

There are three ways to enter and spread the love for Mayu. If you do all, you will be entered three times:

(1) Mention and link to this giveaway on your blog, Facebook page, AND/OR Twitter (be sure to include @shopmayu in the Tweet). Follow up with a post in the below comment section or an email to info@shopmayu.com to confirm!

(2) Add us to your “blogroll” if you have a blog. Leave a comment below with your site so we can check it out!

(3) Respond to this blog post telling us why you just need an alpaca hoodie and how you will wear it!

The giveaway will close August 30th at 10AM. Each person is limited to three entries. The winner will be selected via random number generator software and notified immediately. Shipping is on Mayu!

Enter today and spread the Mayu love!

NEW COLLECTION LAUNCHING SOON!

Our new, loose, chunky and super soft designs will very soon be available to discerning fashionistas such as yourself! Mayu’s designer, Laddhavan Sutana and Kate Robertson, Mayu’s founder stepped it up a notch to bring you a new collection of sophisticated,  alpaca pieces. We just spent two weeks in Peru working with Mayu’s artisans to refine the new line and to deliver you a these luxurious new accessories. We can’t say much now, you’ll have to wait to see the line on our site next week!

However, we can tell you that pictured is our new UNISEX SCARF, a great gift for that especially stylish man or lady! Like our other amazing alpaca pieces, Mayu’s new fall line can be purchased individually or wholesale. Don’t forget to check our site soon!

TRAVELS TO OUR BELOVED PERU

Kate Robertson, Mayu’s founder, just embarked on a two-week trip to Chiquian, Peru. Chiquian is the home of Mayu’s artisans, the collaborative of women who handcraft our fabulous alpaca accessories. Artisans like Mari , and  Elvira, are the lifeblood of Mayu and the reason for its existence. Kate had a wonderful time visiting these artisans with whom she spent over two years when volunteering in the Peace Corps , and the results were very gratifying. Kate did not get much free time, but when she did she spent it dancing huayno music and walking in the foothills of the Huayhash mountains.

It can be very challenging to operate an organization such as Mayu, which involves American designers and entrepreneurs as well as Peruvian artisans, but in the end our goal of making the world a little bit fairer makes all the effort worthwhile. Check our blog to READ, SEE and HEAR more about Kate’s trip to Peru!

MAYU IS CONNECTED!

In addition to having our own blog available for your viewing pleasure, Mayu is excited to have been recently featured on such websites as Karikuy, One Mango Tree , and Heart Handmade!

Don’t forget to check our our Youtube, Twitter , Facebook, LinkedIn and Flickr accounts! There’s always excited news to be shared!
And, if you haven’t yet taken our Customer Satisfaction Survey, we’d love it if you took 30 SECONDS to complete it.

Thanks for reading,
The Mayu Team

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AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER, MITCH TEPLITSKY, TALKS PERU WITH MAYU

August 25th, 2010

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Hey everyone! Mitch Teplitsky is a good friend of Mayu and the filmmaker of the Peruvian documentary, Soy Andina. In the above video, we are in Chiquian, Peru. Mitch came to see the beauty of Chiquian and learn about Mayu’s home because he also loves all things Peru. Mitch recently submitted a Fulbright scholarship application, of which Mayu was a part! I was excited to have Mitch with me in Chiquian — he took some excellent film footage of my Peruvian adventures both in my Peace Corps community and with Mayu’s artisans. Mitch fell in love with Chiquian, so I’m trying to convince him and his wife, Doris, to share a small plot of  land there (Maybe to build a brand new workshop for the artisans and raise alpacas…).

If you love Peru, dance and/or culture and haven’t seen Soy Andina yet, I highly suggest it!

Thanks for watching / reading.

Kate Robertson
Founder of Mayu
(Stay tuned to our FB posts, Tweets and RSS Feed!)

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FINAL TEASER, THE RELEASE OF OUR FALL COLLECTION IS IMMINENT!

August 23rd, 2010

Ooooooh, a hint of our soft, loosely-knit melange scarf (perfect for and arriving this fall!)! Along with our other teasers, we hope that this one will peak your anticipation for our new fall designs!!! You absolutely need to keep checking our site, blog, Twitter, and Facebook for updates on our new collection, which is being released NEXT WEEK!!!

*So excited!*

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DRYING OUR KNIT ALPACA CLOTHING

August 22nd, 2010

This chapter in our Artisan Series allows you to see the drying process that all of Mayu‘s hand-knit alpaca accessories go through. Each Mayu accessory undergoes a set of preparations before it is delivered to your doorstep. This is only one of them! You were recently able to see Elvira knitting our Unisex Scarf like a fiend, and now you will see Maria precisely prepping a garment that will soon become one of our Ruffle Scarves. Enjoy!

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For more on our artisans, keep up with our blog via RSS, Twitter and Facebook! We hope by now you’ve entered our Giveaway Contest!

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DIA Y NOCHE: LA BELLEZA DE CHIQUIAN – HOME OF MAYU’S ARTISANS

August 20th, 2010

You will all learn Spanish now! Today’s title signifies, for those who don’t know, “Day & Night: The Beauty of Chiquian.” For those who can not travel to the Huayhuash mountains of Peru, we wanted to give you a glimpse of the view that our lovely artisans wake up and go to bed to every day…and night. This mountain chain, as well as being a favorite of trekkers worldwide, was also home to the known film Touching the Void.

While the daytime shot was taken by our own Kate Robertson, the dusk shot (found after the break) was taken by Peruvian photographer-in-training, Doris Loyaza,  wife of Mitch Teplitsky (film makers of Soy Andina) for the dusk photo. Doris and Mitch were in Peru with Kate and LOVED Chiquian…

Stay up to date on Mayu, Peru and hand-knit alpaca accessories by following us on Twitter, our blog and Facebook. Have a great weekend, compañeros!

Chelsea (Mayu Intern)

P.S. — Sign up for our e-newsletter for exclusive Mayu news, and don’t forget about our Hoodie Giveaway!

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