Sustainable Style: Alabama Chanin

Every week we feature a sustainable brand on our blog. This week's featured brand is Alabama Chanin.

The signing of NAFTA in January of 1994 left many men and women unemployed as Alabama's textile industry moved south of the border to take advantage of cheaper production costs. This is the situation that Natalie 'Alabama' Chanin, the founder and designer of Alabama Chanin, found when she moved back to her hometown of Florence, Alabama in 2001 after years of living abroad.

Her intention was to make hand sewn t-shirts but she soon realized that she had an opportunity to take advantage of the skills of local artisans to make an even broader range of apparel. Since then, the brand has expanded to include the hand sewn Alabama Chanin collection, the A. Chanin line of of machine made apparel, DIY sewing kits, a store and cafe as well as manufacturing services for other brands.

Since the beginning, Alabama Chanin has been committed to a sustainable supply chain. They only use organic cotton that is grown, ginned, spun, dyed, cut and sewn in the USA and even the food that they serve in their cafe is organic, locally sourced and homemade. I love how the brand remains true to it's southern roots while supporting the local community and sustainable business practices. You can purchase Alabama Chanin on their website or store in Florence, Alabama.

Credit: Photo from Alabama Chanin