Conscious Shopping Tips

We've made a commitment to conscious fashion ethically made with a zero waste ethos.

Trends come and go, we consume at rates which are harmful to the environment. Yet there is more that we can do to stop waste and shop ethically. Discover more brands committed to change like ourselves on our shop unique selection, here

When buying an item of clothing, there are so many things to consider. It’s useful to ask yourself questions, like is it an investment classic or a short-lived trend? Do you really need it? Will you wear it just a handful of times or does it have longevity? 

Conscious shopping guide. 

All of these are important to consider before you purchase any item. You can learn more in our conscious shopping guide.

CARE, REPAIR, RE-WEAR


Make loved clothes last by giving them the real care that they need. How you wash, store and care for your clothing makes all the difference. Check out our some simple tips here

  

Styling Suggestions 

Changing our spending habits, rather than trying to overhaul your whole wardrobe, why not invest in a handful of key pieces that will last the test of time.

Sincerely Madia & Matilda 

 

Summer of Cutlture - Things to do this Summer

Cultural trips? Outdoor gigs? Summer pub crawls or foodie festivals? You’re spoilt for choice this summer, so get that diary filled to make it your best one yet.


With the help of Blogger Thaiane Dalvino (@itsthaii)  We’ve rounded up things for you to add to your must-do list, from the best spots for a cold summer pint to the biggest events heading to the city, plus epic days out that the whole family can enjoy. They’re best enjoyed while to weather is at its peak, so get to it!



London

Finally it's summer in London and we present you this beautiful place, found in London Battersea. Lost Society, a cocktail bar/ restaurant with a garden on the external area. 

The decoration was designed by the Casa Jaguar Design that provide us this amazing botanical haven and lots of different ambient, colours and textures though the place. Amazing for celebrations, meetings and a beautiful back drop for your inta stories!

Don't miss the opportunity to visit the garden on this summer. The hot weather might not last long!

National Park City Festival from Jul 20 to Jul 28. Take part in hundreds of events and activities across the week all celebrating the city’s green spaces, trees, waterways and natural environment.

There’ll be urban wildlife walks, free fitness sessions, outdoor theatre, explorations of London’s lesser-known green spaces, family activities, workshops, opportunities to look after green spaces, boat trips, bike rides, tree trails and more. 

Watch out for special boat trips, like the upcoming Movies on the river night, or 

Summer by the River 

Credits

https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/summer-by-the-river

 Thaiane Dalvino (@itsthaii) Dress Issabella - SS20 Madia & Matilda at the Lost Society London

Go site seeing  or looking for educational days out with the kids why not try out The Postal Museum this summer? In greater London is one of our all-time favourites! Featuring a mini railway, a play area and lots of interactive exhibits, it’s a great place to go if you’re looking for indoor summer activities. If you’ve got kids under 8, be sure to pick up a Mail Rail Family Trail booklet - it’s included in your ticket.

If the Postal Museum, not for you take a look at this list of 10 great family-friendly museums in the UK instead.

Credits https://www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/blog/summer-activities-things-to-do

 Bristol

In central Bristol for a day? The Coffee House Project is the first of its kind in Bristol. A caffeine-fuelled celebration of the best the city has to offer, this two day coffee festival focuses on local, artisan roasters, independent food and drink retailers and home-grown

when? From 7 Sept 2019to8 Sept 2019 Our kind our festival! 

Credits

https://visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/the-coffee-house-project-p2444593

 Or are you looking for something more cultural?! As the home of Banksy, Bristol is full of creatives and Upfest – Europe’s largest urban paint festival and a rare chance to see some of the best graffiti artists work their magic right in front of your eyes. No need to leave the kids at home either... It’s a great day out for the whole family, with lots of creative workshops and activities for the little ones.  

Bristol festivals are world famous. Take the Bristol balloon festival – an international fiesta of hot air balloons spanning four glorious days each summer. Head to Ashton Court Estate and watch mass ascents of balloons in all sorts of amazing shapes and sizes, morning and night. There’s also night glows set to music, fireworks and lots more family fun.


Then there is Bristol Harbour Festival, the mother of all maritime festivals, which celebrates the city’s vibrant Harbourside. You can watch daredevil stunts, go on leisurely boat rides, nod your head along to local bands and eat and drink Bristol fashion from the many amazing market stalls.

Into finding your inner chi? Join Bristol's first Yoga and Vegan festival in the lovely green campus of Fairfield High School. Participate in all-day long Yoga & meditation sessions, enjoy yummy vegan and raw vegan food, shop for vegan products and attend talks on mental health and wellness

Credits 

https://visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/bristol-yoga-and-vegan-festival-p2744623

Leeds 

There are a few events to take note of, if you are in leeds over the holidays, the first is Yorkshire Sculpture International is the UK’s largest dedicated sculpture festival, a series of exhibitions, international commissions, events and learning programmes not seen on a scale anywhere else – with sculpture in its broadest forms on display across four major galleries and outdoors in Leeds and Wakefield.

This first festival builds upon Yorkshire’s rich history as the birthplace of pioneering sculptors, including Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, and as the home of this unique consortium of galleries and celebrated sculpture collections. Definitely worth checking out!

Reflecting the curatorial theme put forward by British artist Phyllida Barlow that ‘sculpture is the most anthropological of the artforms’ 

Credits yorkshire-sculpture.org/

Leeds Pride is Yorkshire’s biggest celebration of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans* life. Running since 2006 and is now the largest Pride in the UK to still be a completely free event with over 40,000 people attending. It is also considered the UK’s friendliest Pride. The celebrations are run by a skilled team of volunteers with close links to local Leeds LGB&T community and the event is funded through community fundraising.

Over the Leeds Pride weekend there will be a whole host of events celebrating love, equality, sexuality and gender identity across the city. This is the 13th year that Leeds Pride has taken place.

Where you ask?

All over the city! The fun all starts at the Millennium Square Stage on the Sunday and the parade then heads through Leeds before ending up on Lower Briggate for a massive party to round off a wonderful day. Sunday 4th August

Cornwall 

Cornwall the home of the Cornish pasty, beautiful British beaches there's plenty of things to do during this summer in Cornwall. 

We found this great little restaurant for foodies, 12 Beach Road, overlooking Towan beach in Newquay, combines the best local produce with global flavour fusion.
The new restaurant brings modern, relaxed, family dining to the north Cornish coast along with Yallah artisan coffee and beachy cocktails.

Credits 

https://cliffhousenewquay.com/12-beach-road-newquay/

Afterwards you could watch a performance at the Minack Theatre in a spectacular location to watch theatre. Or visit the Oasis Fun Pools with the kids, based in the North Coast, Newquay

The Oasis Fun Pools at Hendra is great indoor and outdoor splashtastic fun for the whole family with flumes, fountains, a geyser, river rapid ride, waterfall, and toddles area.  Also a café, bar and much more! But, if your more of an Adrenalin junky, take the zip wire at Adrenalin Quarry near Liskeard. In numbers, the zip wire is 490 metres long, suspended 50 metres above a flooded quarry, and you can reach speeds of 40mph. Not for the faint-hearted.

Credits https://www.cornwalllive.com/all-about/newquay

But, if you prefer some light hearted fun, why not watch or get involved in the Crantock bale push in September, teams push a hay bale over 400lbs in weight around the village in one of the craziest fundraising events in Cornwall. Takes place on the second Friday of each September.

For a slower pace and for the adventurer in you, Cornwall has  some of the best views and beaches, St Michael's Mount  has some great views and at the most southerly point of mainland UK, Lizard Point is a wild and weather-beaten chunk of land which stands strong against the elements in the Atlantic Ocean. There is excellent walking to be had all along here, as well as stunning views and a cracking cream tea.

Sincerely Madia

& Matilda

Is Fashion Week Ever Sustainable?

Fashion week - Why Madia & Matilda is against fast fashion

What is slow fashion?

In recent years we have seen a wave of change wash over the fashion industry. Consumers and companies alike have become more aware of the effects of fast fashion on workers and our environment.

Slow fashion is how we approach and raise awareness to the way fashion is produced – taking the time to consider the processes and resources. The term Slow Fashion came about quite organically. It was coined by Kate Fletcher of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion. Slow fashion is necessary to save our environment as well as workforce welfare. In 2018, brands such as H&M reportedly burnt 12 tonnes of unsold garments despite launching their Garment Collecting programme – a global initiative to prevent customers’ unwanted items from going to landfill.

The slow fashion movement has been increasing exponentially in recent years as consumers demand higher sustainability and ethical standards.

Why we only design collections every 2 seasons

Here at Madia & Matilda, we pride ourselves on our sustainability and ethical ethos towards fashion. We only use fabrics that are end of roll, end of line or recycled from previous garments. Our items are designed and produced in house without the need for a factory or cheap labour. In order to keep our sustainable promise we only produce collections twice a year for spring/summer and autumn/winter. By producing biannually we are able to invest more time and money into our designs and quality, thus creating items that are ethically sound and adhere to our high standards.

Why we don’t participate in fashion week

Madia & Matilda consciously chooses not to participate in fashion week so as not to support the fast fashion trend. Many fashion weeks and catwalks feature garments that are produced quickly and cheaply to capture the most recent fashion trends. Not only does fashion week inspire fast fashion production but it also encourages consumers to buy into trend fads that only last a few months.

Charity fashion shows

Instead, at Madia & Matilda we dedicate our time and energy to producing eco-friendly garments that can form the basis of any wardrobe. Rather than partaking in mainstream fashion week catwalks, we only feature ourselves in charity catwalks. This year see our brand join the Durham University Charity Fashion Show - The UK’s largest student fundraiser and the biggest event in Durham’s social calendar. This year the fashion event is supporting the Environmental Justice Foundation, a charity who works at the forefront of global environmental politics to secure the rights of climate refugees and the future of our planet. If you want to attend the event you can find more information about the event here.

Madia & Matilda have also featured in many other charity fashion events including St Martins in the fields, Empire Casino London and Brighton Fashion Week.

Sincerely Madia & Matilda

Party Season Edition- Longer Nights, Party Lights

Longer Nights = Party Lights! 

Since the clocks have gone forward, we've been watching the night falling quicker and quicker. You could respond to this one of two ways: go to bed at 5pm; or you could take advantage of the longer nights and go wild 'til the early hours. Here at M&M, we're in favour of a 70-30 split between partying all night and going to bed at 5pm. So we've got a few special party pieces together to tickle your fancy. Whether your a day bird or a night owl, dressing up a bit in these colder days makes everyone feel a little bit more sparkly inside!

Cocktails, dinner, book club— wherever you're heading of an evening, these styles will have you sorted. Check out our specially selected range of going-out stuff!

Cocktails, dinner, the club— wherever you're heading of an evening, these styles will have you sorted. Check out our specially selected range of going-out stuff!

Dress? Check. Statement jewellery? Check. Sassy shoes? Look below! Like, wow, we have you covered. Get them here!

Allow us to explain: it is winter, but it's also strappy season, honest! You can layer over them, accentuate them, do what you like with them. Get our beautiful Lila dress here. 

More straps! How about teaming our lovely Emily dress with a silver long-sleeved top underneath for the chillier days? Heck, make it sparkly! A belt made of fairy lights, perhaps? Other similar and equally delectable dresses include ravishing Ruth and dynamic Delia. 

Oh hi, Kate! (She just dropped in for some milk. She's diggin' the strappy look too). 

All that's left to say is YAY! Yes, it's winter, but it's also party prime-time. And we're not settling for dreary and dull in the sartorial section when there are goodies like the ones above, all ready to go! 

If you piece something killer together, please comment or tag us in a pic! We'd love to see what you're wearing. 

Sincerely Madia & Matilda