Around the world with mara mea

Good afternoon everyone! We hope you are all well and if, like Dorina, you are just returning from that idyllic summer holiday then we hope you are not suffering too badly from a case of the inevitable holiday blues. Or, alternatively if you're preparing to listen to the usual 'your exits are here, here and here' as you get set to go off on your jolly hols, then we hope you are not feeling too stressed - we can still remember how stressed our mums were when they were packing for our annual family holiday :) . But whichever boat you're in, Mara Mea is here to help. With the delivery of our Autumn Winter 2016 collection just on the horizon we thought it was about time for us to share with you where our products come from. Who makes them? What do they do? and most importantly: is it fair? Well ladies, get your passports at the ready because you've got a first class ticket to go around the world with Mara Mea to find out.

First stop - Poland! Poland is not only a place of great beauty and historical depth but is also the home of the scientist Marie Curie (who knew?), and most importantly of all is the birthplace of our dearly beloved nursing scarfs (available in gray, mint and navy) We work with Ökotex 100 certified jersey and woven graphic tapes to create the perfect nursing scarf which is both functional and fashionable. The material for the nursing scarfs comes from Germany. Once the scarves have been sewn in Poland, they come back to our office in Berlin for the final touches, where we pack them and add their labels. They are then ready to be delivered to your door, just in time for the arrival of your little one and the cold winter months ahead. Ready for our next destination? Portugal here we come.

Aside from having a rather good football team, Portugal is also rather good at making mara mea jumpers and cardigans. With the help of a local textile agent we are able to easily communicate (our Portuguese really isn't that great) with our partners in Portugal who are specialists in intricate and heavy sewing and who work to a very high standard. Of course the advantage of being so close to home means quick delivery and no complicated transactions. This has lead to a perfect partnership for mara mea as it ensures high quality but minimal logistics - ótimo! (That means great in Portuguese.)

We are totally in love with our next destination - Thailand and its unique embroideries. Thailand really has offered mara mea the prettiest and most unique of products. This however could not have been achieved without the help of Ethnic Lanna. At Ethnic Lanna, their philosophy is about producing high quality products and creating fair partnerships with their employers, suppliers and the environment and this is identical to our philosophy at mara mea. Through this the CEO, Carlos Mantilla, who lives in the Chiang Mai in the mountains in northern Thailand, supports the traditions of the Hmong aborigionals who live in the mountains in Thailand, Vietnam and China. The traditions they uphold are as precious as they are ancient and really do create works of art. It is tradition for the Hmong women to embroider while pregnant, creating unique products which we simply adore, because each piece of work tells its own story, a story which can be passed on to you as our lovely customers. Working with Ethnic Lanna has enabled us to support the work of the Hmong aborigionals, so they might get a chance to put their feet up after giving birth, like every new mum should, as well as create handmade embroideries for our daydream diaper clutch. Each of these bags is just as special and as characteristic as the women who have made them. Ethnic Lanna also planning fair trade projects, for example the development of an internet connection and their elephant help project. Sadly it's now time to leave Thailand but we have one final exciting destination.

Our final destination is full of colors, exotic smells and inspiration. Well guessed, yes, we're off to India and there you will find the heart of mara mea production. Nevertheless their work and expertise is second to none as they are specialists in high quality embroidery and working with dipdye and color effects, which of course characterizes the mara mea brand. In the end they will always deliver the best results for our clothes and diaper bags . We develop all of the designs, measurements and prints at our office in Berlin before they are then discussed and created by our producers. It was only this May when we visited our partners in India, and together we developed the next Spring Summer collection. However it is not always about the products themselves, but about the beautiful people who make them for us. We control the high working conditions and in Delhi our partner works with physically and mentally disadvantaged people to train and employ them to produce and finish products just like mara mea's. Our partner team in Delhi is like family to us and we are honored to have the opportunity to work with them.

We have contracts with all of our producers including working conditions, sanitary and chemical regulations. We are conscious of out social and ecological responsibilities and so fair trade with fair producers and conditions go hand in hand with our mara mea philosophy.

So, now you know. Mara mea not only seeks the prettiest patterns and most colorful designs but is also driven by improving lives in less fortunate countries and in ensuring all production is fair. The vast array of producers around the world enables us to create a diverse range of products which in turn are passed on to you. We hope you enjoyed your whistle stop tour around the world with Mara Mea and we hope to see you traveling with us again soon.

Travel around the world with mara mea

Hello everyone! We hope you are well. If, like Dorina, you have just returned from a wonderful holiday, we hope you are not too sad. You haven't been on holiday yet but are currently packing? Then we wish you as little stress as possible. We can still remember how stressed our mothers were when packing for the family holiday :). But no matter which boat you are in, we offer you a little distraction. Our autumn/winter collection has just been delivered and so we decided it is time to tell you where our products come from. Who makes the mara mea bags? How are they made? And most importantly: is everything fair? So girls, grab your passport and prepare for a trip around the world. Together with us - mara mea.

Our first stop is Poland. Poland is not only a truly beautiful country but also historically interesting. It is also the home of the natural scientist Marie Curie (who would have thought?) and most importantly, Poland is the birthplace of our beloved nursing scarves. (Available in gray, mint, and midnight blue) We work with Oeko-Tex 100 certified jersey fabrics and trims to create the perfect nursing scarves that are both functional and stylish. The materials come from Germany. The scarves are then sewn in Poland and returned to our office in Berlin for final finishing. Before they arrive at your home, we package the scarves and attach the labels. Ready for our next destination? Let's go.

Portugal certainly has a very good football team, but they also like to produce mara mea sweaters and cardigans. In Portugal, we work with a textile agency based there. This makes communication with the Portuguese easier for us. Our Portuguese needs improvement. Our production facilities in Portugal specialize in fine and chunky knits and work to a very high quality standard. We enjoy the fact that our Portuguese partners are located nearby. This allows us to quickly fly there to inspect samples or do fittings. And, of course, the logistics are much easier. We are delighted with the great collaboration with the Portuguese. - ótimo! (that means great in Portuguese)

Next stop is Thailand. We are in love with Thailand and the unique embroidery of the Hmong hill tribes. Carlos Mantilla's small production facility is located in Chiang Mai, in the mountains of northern Thailand. Carlos has made it his mission to support the women of the Hmong tribe and uphold their traditions. These women embroider their baby carriers by hand during pregnancy. The result is wonderfully colorful and unique handicrafts. Together with Ethnic Lanna, we recycle the straps from these baby carriers and use them for our unique daydream diaper clutch. Each of these bags is as individual and distinctive as the women who made it. Ethnic Lana impresses with its fair company policy and its particularly fair treatment of the environment and its employees. They plan and implement fair trade projects, such as the construction of a Wi-Fi tower or an elephant aid project.

Off we go to our final destination together. To a country full of color, exotic scents, and inspiration. You guessed it. We're flying to India. The main production of mara mea takes place in India. Our Indian producers specialize in intricate embroidery and fabric processing and deliver the very best results for our colorful dresses and bags. We develop all designs, measurements, prints, and embroidery here in Berlin. The ideas are then discussed with our Indian producers and implemented. In May of this year, we visited our partners in Delhi. We developed the spring/summer collection together, visited breathtaking fabric markets, and inspected the working conditions. Our partners are all small family businesses, and we are delighted with the fantastic teams we are able to work with. Take a look at our bag producer's team here.

We have contracts with all our producers that include working conditions, hygiene regulations, and chemical regulations. These are significantly stricter than legally required. We are aware of our social and environmental responsibility, and fair working conditions and the fair treatment of workers and resources are firmly anchored in the mara mea philosophy. One of the producers works with people with disabilities and supports their integration into society.

So now you know. Mara mea not only develops beautiful cuts and colorful, fresh designs, but also cares about fair trade and fair working conditions. Mara mea's extensive portfolio of producers allows for quick and flexible order placement and a wide product variety. We hope you enjoyed your trip and that you'll come back here soon.