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Dreamy with Dean – by Dina

May 9, 2013 in Design, Heritage, inspiration, Our office, sustainability, Uncategorized

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We moved our offices last December from Chabanel street (otherwise known as the fashion district in Montreal) to an area not too far from there that feels really different. The streets in our new neighborhood are bordered with grass so it’s easy to step out and get some fresh air, eat your lunch seating on a rock or take a moment to relax outside. After 8 years spent on paved streets, I must say this new address makes me appreciate these simple pleasures. Given the incredible summer weather we’ve been experiencing the past couple of days, I decided to step out and take some pictures of our Dean backpack around the block this afternoon. The Dean has been one of our favorites recently:  it’s so simple and practical, and yet we love the sharp lines. It’s also great on a bike, so when we were experimenting with the recycled rubber from bicycle tires, it made sense to try the material on this style. What you see in the pictures is a development sample of the style for our Fall 13 collection, one of these prototypes we use to test our ideas. We changed it a little bit after that, maybe we’ll use this sample for one of our giveaways.

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M&N tidbits!

January 11, 2013 in Heritage

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A little M&N heritage to ring in the new year!

January 2, 2013 in Heritage, Uncategorized

2013… to think that it’s already been 18 years since we started the business, constantly evolving & changing, we’ve been through a lot to say the least! We recently moved offices a few weeks ago. This enabled us to be nostalgic and look at samples dating back 10 years. Shoe samples, coats, belts, jewelry, there were many prized Matt & Nat treasures found in dusty old boxes in our storage room. Most of them difficult to get rid of, we kept the ones which remind of our roots, where we started and where we are now. Back to basic & our roots, we’re happy to introduce our new line which is focused on a cleaner, minimalist aesthetic focusing on strong bold shapes & colors.  We continue to live beautifully and experiment with new innovative sustainable materials. Here’s to a fresh new start all whilst remembering where we started from. Here’s a little flashback on key years for us.

 

1995 – Launching of MATT & NAT a vegan line with a name inspired by MAT(T)ERIAL + NATURE.

2007- 100% RECYCLED PLASTIC BOTTLES USED AS LININGS ON ALL PRODUCTS

2009- The infamous “experimental years”

2012- We went back to our roots

2013- We are excited to introduce the use of cork, a renewable resource into our line! We continue to be focused on creating beautiful things that have a positive impact.

- Our shoe line… our experimental days!

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Our story

October 29, 2012 in Heritage

Some ideas sneak up on you like they were always meant to be.

The idea behind MAT(T)ERIAL and NATURE was originally conceived in 1995 as an exploration into the concept of duality. Can we feel passionate about product and design and yet still be driven by that which can not be experienced through the five senses…love.

There is no right answer. Seventeen years later we are still striving for unison and enjoying the process.

We get to experiment with bag shapes with some ground rules: no leather. Simply put we don’t like hurting animals and we care about the welfare of the planet. No serif fonts either, they hurt our eyes. No meat in the office but lots of vegan cupcakes. A mandate to use eco/recycled/upcycled materials wherever we can has led to recycling plastic bottles for linings, the use of cork and secret future plans to upcycle bicycle tires.

We are MATT & NAT, our values are love, authenticity and responsibility. We are inspired by the textures and hues of nature, we will do our best to protect.

 

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MAT(T)ERIAL & NATURE and a symbol of unison : A post by Inder

October 11, 2012 in Heritage, Our office

A message from Inder

“I wrote the concept behind M&N as an exploration into the concept of duality. This last year I felt that it was time to present a symbol for M&N that represents living in a world where we can feel passionate about product but still be driven by that which can not be felt by the 5 senses….love. Design and responsibility do not need to be mutually exclusive, it is possible to look good, be good, feel good and do good without feeling like/being different people.

We are MATT & NAT, our values are love, authenticity and responsibility. We are inspired by the textures and hues of nature, we will do our best to protect.”
Best, M&N

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