25% OFF - 5 Years in the Making

Sincerely Madia & Matilda

Care for Silk

Here is how to care for your silk garments

Sincerely Madia & Matilda

Easter 2018: The Food Edit (No Chocolate Here!)

For all you peeps who like to do something special to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus/chocolate bunnies, this is for you! Of course, there's the good ol' Egg Hunt (who's dressing up as Mr Bunny this year?), a family walk, or church. Whatever Easter looks like for you, you can't beat a bite to eat with the Fam. We've got some ideas to kick things off. 

Places to Eat
The Cotswolds are famous for the broad range of places where you can get some truly amazing, locally produced food. Here are three of our favourites:

Lavendar Bakehouse is a little teashop and cafe in Chalford, just by the canal. They source their ingredients as locally as possible and you can taste the love they put into the food! This is a lovely place for brunch or cake, or both! 

Image courtesy of TripAdvisor

The Canteen is Nailsworth's quirky, yummy offering to the Cotswolds' food scene, drawing celebrity attention stars such as Liam Gallagher. The food is incredibly good and the cafe backs onto Domestic Science, a mini emporium supplying chic vintage homewares, quality office supplies and much more. 

Image courtesy of TripAdvisor

Wild Garlic is also based in Nailsworth (Naily's got it all, folks!). Jay Raynor is a big fan— need we say more? We will anyway. Chef Patron Matthew Beardshall handpicks local, seasonal ingredients with which to create his dishes. And did we mention the "locally sourced traditional roast" on the Sunday lunch menu?! (Psst! Booking recommended).

Image courtesy of TripAdvisor

If 'forking' out for a full meal isn't for you, you could ask everyone to make their favourite dish (assign some people to sweet, some to savoury, some to drinks etc.) and put on a bring and share. Something a bit different, and if you find dates like Easter stressful, 
it should take the edge off! 

Whatever you're doing on the Easter weekend, we hope you have the loveliest, yummiest time! (And good luck with the rest of Lent!)

Sincerely, Madia & Matilda

Three Cheers for Mummy!

Mother's Day 2018

With Mother's Day just around the corner on the 11th March, we have some 

last-minute gift ideas if you haven't quite got it sorted yet.  

If you're hoping to give your mum the opportunity to kick back and indulge in some serious relaxation, you couldn't do better than a gorgeous gift from Lola's Apothecary. Their Queen of Roses bath milk has won awards for its amazing scent and super calming properties, and if your mum likes to chill out in the bath this could be the one for her! 

Remember when you and your mum used to do everything together, like bake, or going to the park together? This Hettie bag, made from British tweed is a great gift to surprise your mum; whilst  you bring back those memories with a slightly lower-stress baking project, and enjoy the results with a lovely fragrant cuppa from Hoogly Tea. They do a fab Apple Strudel flavour that was basically made for those lazy baking afternoons and it comes in the sweetest little box! 

If you're looking for a beautiful, hand-crafted card to write something lovely and soppy in, think about getting a card from Coco Loves. They do a Super Mum card made from Scrabble tiles— a brilliant upcycled gift.

Shout out to all the badass mums out there — you rock!

Sincerely Madia & Matilda

International Women's Day 2018

Who Run the World? (Girls and Boys Working in Harmony to Overcome the Toxic Agenda of a Capitalist Patriarchy)

Beyoncé is in the house, yo. Thursday 8th March is International Women's Day (IWD), so we're all about celebrating women. Just like any other day, really! 

Image courtesy of International Women's Day website

It's 100 years since women in Britain were given the vote by King George V on February 6th 1918. This right was afforded to women over the age of 30 who met certain property qualifications, and these conditions were slowly lifted over time until here we are in 2018, skipping merrily to the polling station to cast our hard-earned vote.

No IWD post would be complete without mention of the formidable Suffragettes who fought with incredible bravery to secure their places as valuable and contributing members of British society. Shout out to you, Wonder Women! We tread your path with joy and pride.


Women have made huge progress in the last 100 years. Here are some highlights:

• 1922— Law of Property Act states that husband and wife will inherit property equally
• 1928— All women have voting rights equal to men's
• 1958— Life Peerages Act entitles women to sit in the House of Lords for the first time
• 1967— Abortion Act evolves, allowing doctors to perform the operation if the pregnancy was in any way dangerous. This ruling became increasingly flexible 
• 1974— the Pill becomes widely available through the NHS
• 1976— Race Relations Act makes it illegal to discriminate on grounds of race in employment and education
• 1985— Equal Pay (Amendment) Act entitles women to be paid the same as men who are doing work of equal value
• 1994— After years of serious campaigning by women's organisations, rape in marriage is recognised as a crime
• 2004— Gender Recognition Act allows transgender people to live fully and permanently in their acquired gender to gain legal recognition in that gender

Wow!

So now for a small selection of ladies who are not taking sh*t from anyone. ANYONE. 

Munroe Bergdorf

We'd be surprised if you haven't heard of this amazing woman. She's been making a lot of headlines recently, expressing her views on sexuality and gender, feminism and individuality. She's had a lot of backlash as a result, but has that shut her up? Nah. We love this article, where she talks about the L’Oréal racism scandal. 

Image courtesy of Twitter

Meghan Markle

Meghan's already incurred a lot of buzz. She's passionate about women's welfare and has been an ambassador for UN Women. She holds an extremely influential position, which could be used to do an enormous amount of good for progress in resolving women's issues. We know that so much of this progress is pushed by women everywhere, of all classes, but having someone like Meghan to represent it can be a huge asset to the effort. 

Image courtesy of Royal Central

Lucy Siegle

Lovely Lucy is championing ecological solutions to everyday, problems via her column in The Guardian (we heard she's just left, but you can still read the articles!). She's a big advocate for going plastic free and looking for more ecological sanitary and cleaning products. Lucy is pushing for conscious shopping  (just like we are) and cautious consumerism. Hear hear!

Image courtesy of The True Cost

Sincerely Madia & Matilda

Join Us - 5 Years In The Making

Cupid's Calling: Valentine's Day!

Gearing Up For Valentine's Day 

Celebrating Valentine's day with fireworks and a huge dinner? Or a late breakfast in bed, with as many movies as you can stand to watch before good ol' square eye syndrome kicks in, we've got some ideas for you guys... 

If candlelit dinners and heart confetti aren't your thing, why not head out into nature for something a little different? Guaranteed, there'll be some amazingly beautiful nature spots near you that you've never even heard of. If you time it right, you might even catch the sunset! So do some research and put together a little picnic basket. We're thinking prosecco, something gooey and chocolatey, maybe some stuffed focaccia? 

How about these coral culottes, 'Odette' for a laid-back Valentine's Day outfit idea? Dinner doesn't have to mean a dress - but you can certainly dress these up! Team with heels for understated charm. Or if dresses are your thing - the Carly Dress or Mary - Lace A-Line  Skater Dress is perfect for dinner dates

Valentine's Day is often synonymous with a lot of effort and expense. Chocolates and flowers to be ordered, dinners to book, events to shell out for. Sometimes the best gift to give your significant other is simple, straight from the heart like one of our handcrafted gifts or cards.

If you're opting for the breakfast in bed option, pour yourself a cup of this gorgeous tea from our Shop Unique section of Tea. Vanilla for sweetness and harmony, rhubarb for colour and a bold, sharp flavour. #relationship goals

However you're celebrating Valentine's Day this year, we hope you have a truly wonderful time with the love of your life (and your cat or a huge tub of Ben and Jerry's definitely counts)! Shake it up or play it cool, whatever you feel. Have a good one ladies and gents! 

Sincerely Madia & Matilda

Five Years in The Making - Madia & Matilda

Celebrating 5 Years of Madia & Matilda!

Isn't it incredible to look back and realise just how far you've come? As a business, we have accomplished a great deal through these years of development, including working or collaborating with many influential local businesses and an education team who are shaping the future of fashion and presenting in Empire Casino, St Martin's in the Fields and London Fashion Week. We feel ultimately #blessed for the fantastic opportunities we have had on our journey so far!

Below is a small selection of pictures from over the years. 

Our peerless pioneer Shalize Nicholas (above; ain't she gorgeous!) started Madia & Matilda with the goal of making a difference in fashion: contributing positively to a less wasteful world. We are grateful to have grown as much as we have over this past year!

Our ShopUnique section is made up of carefully selected likeminded businesses who craft their products using sustainable materials or upcycling wherever possible. The concept behind ShopUnique strictly adheres to our principles, and those of other small businesses which regard sustainability and ethics as important solutions to the widespread problem of excessive consumerism in the fashion industry. We make handcrafted and locally produced items the stars of our show.

We really look forward to what is to come and hope that you will be with us all the way!

A big thank you to all who have followed and supported us over the years! As it's our

5th birthday this month we thought we'd show our appreciation to you, our beautiful customers, by adding free Worldwide delivery for the rest of the month! 

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Youtube

#madiamatilda 

@Madia & Matilda 

                   
                                      

Sincerely Madia & Matilda

Shop Unique - Spotlight on Hettie

Hettie

Hettie is a small business which specialises in making accessories from British wool. It’s based in Warwickshire, remains family-run and uses fabrics woven in the UK. Hettie create timeless, chic accessories, from bags to little bow-ties for dogs. These items are made with love and are perfect for anyone who wants to invest in ethical, British fashion—like us at Madia & Matilda! That’s why they feature on our website as a like-minded fashion brand. It’s a brave move to work mainly with one material, but it also encourages its beauty and versatility to shine. Hettie has perfected this idea to bring us a delightful collection of woolly wonders!

A small range of products enable a manufacturing method which is thoughtful and trustworthy. Allow us to present...

The Hettie bag. Available in a variety of fabrics and colours and made in a beautiful, classic design, this bag will cheerfully see you through your all adventures. It’s a great size for everyday use, not to mention full of easy-to-wear charm!

Hettie’s Ella cross-body bag has your back, from country walks to quick dashes into town (unless, like us, you only went in for milk and came out lugging a loaf of bread, a bottle of wine and a box of Viennese whirls). Like the Hettie bag, this case comes in a variety of lovely hues (so you can coordinate to your heart’s content!)

Hettie’s Pet Collection shows the fun side of the company. The “stylish bow tie,” it says, “will attach to your collar with elastic.” If you’re going to market to dogs, you may as well go the whole dog (see what we did there?). Pet accessories range from little neckerchiefs to gorgeous collars any dog would be proud to wear. Check them out in-store at Madia & Matilda!

The Kate bag is for those of us who, like me, love to be prepared for every eventuality. Hand cream? Sun glasses? Pencil? Socks? Keys? Dog treats? And the great thing about this bag is (quite apart from it looking amazing) that all of the above and more will fit in it very comfortably. We’re sold.

The incredible powers of wool as a material include its sustainable nature, warmth and amazing strength as a fibre. Hettie’s accessories are produced in a way which causes very low negative impact on vulnerable ecosystems (although we can’t promise you’ll be safe from bag envy!), which is why we chose strike up a partnership with them. When you buy a Hettie product through Madia & Matilda, you’re investing in two companies which take sustainability and ethics into serious consideration: in other words, help look after the planet and look damn fine doing it!

Sincerely Madia & Matilda