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!

To me, Fair Trade is just common sense. People should be treated humanely and honestly, especially when all they are trying to accomplish is earning a living for themselves and their families, which should not be an entirely unfamiliar nor unassailable goal. The most common complaint I hear about Fair Trade is that it’s “so expensive”! Well, I unfailingly respond that we Americans are SPOILED, we get many commodities less expensively than the rest of the world, and oftentimes things that are cheaply-made do not last as long. I, for one, would rather buy a more expensive garment (maybe made of alpaca!) rather than a $5 Wal-Mart tee-shirt that will just rip and fall apart within a month. AND I am helping a bunch of people and the environment, to boot! Gosh-darn common sense, everyone.

Well, I am so excited to have had this opportunity at Mayu, soon I will be finishing up and moving on to other shores. Kate and I will be attending the Fair Trade Futures Conference this coming weekend, which is bound to be an amazing and memorable experience. I want to take a sec to thank Kate Robertson for this great opportunity, and for helping me launch my career in the Fair Trade sector.

My birthday is coming up later this month, and I will be turning a ripe old 24! You can come to my party if you want, the cover charge is that gorgeous Ruffle Scarf I’ve been eyeing lo’ these many months!

See you there (or maybe at Fair Trade Futures)!

<3 Chelsea

P.S. No that is not a nail in my nose, as my boyfriend likes to tease.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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!

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!

Click here to view the embedded video.

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!

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

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

Click here to view the embedded video.

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!)

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!*

Click here to view the embedded video.

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!

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!