livius drusus
11-22-2005, 06:27 PM
I saw Project Alabama (http://www.projectalabama.com/) mentioned in a newsclip a few weeks ago and thought it was a groovy thing.
The founder, Natalie Chanin, is a designer who while in New York got so many compliments on t-shirts she had made using traditional hand-stitching techniques learned in her Alabama hometown that she realized there was a market for them.
She went back to Florence, Alabama -- a region once known for its textile industry and now economically devastated by the death of the mills -- and started a business. Now Project Alabama employs 150 contract stitchers, thereby not only reviving a local craft but also giving people the opportunity to support themselves with their artisanship.
The clothing line has moved way past t-shirts alone now, and each piece is unique. Check out the Spring 2006 collection (http://www.projectalabama.com/web/Show/SS06CollectionPG1.htm). Gorgeous work, isn't it?
The founder, Natalie Chanin, is a designer who while in New York got so many compliments on t-shirts she had made using traditional hand-stitching techniques learned in her Alabama hometown that she realized there was a market for them.
She went back to Florence, Alabama -- a region once known for its textile industry and now economically devastated by the death of the mills -- and started a business. Now Project Alabama employs 150 contract stitchers, thereby not only reviving a local craft but also giving people the opportunity to support themselves with their artisanship.
The clothing line has moved way past t-shirts alone now, and each piece is unique. Check out the Spring 2006 collection (http://www.projectalabama.com/web/Show/SS06CollectionPG1.htm). Gorgeous work, isn't it?