A Visit To Alabama Chanin – Part III: The Clothing Collection
Of course, Alabama Chanin is known mostly for the CLOTHING!
I’m publishing this post again today, with the photos resized down. Many many thanks to reader, Diane, for letting me know that the full size photos were TOO big. As I told her, this ‘Techie’ stuff is quite daunting, but a necessity for me to learn since I’m not doing the travel/teaching any longer as I used to. Please know I am most welcoming of any and all feedback, hints, comments, suggestions for posts, etc. Londa
Just do a search for Alabama Chanin on Pinterest and you will get a feast for your eyes! Nothing beats the up close and personal views that delight if you go visit The Factory in Florence, AL. I’m including pricing on most of these pieces for information sake, and to say YEAH for the value she has managed to attach to these beautifully hand-made garments. It is my feeling that our society is very spoiled when it comes to the cost of clothing! If you sew, you know how much work goes into, for example, a man’s shirt. How fast could YOU make one with all that detail? And how much is YOUR labor worth? When the day comes that all the extremely cheap imports for clothing come to an end, sewing will be a skill everyone will want to acquire, as clothing costs will skyrocket.
Starting at the beginning then…let me repeat my recollection of how Alabama Chanin’s ‘making’ works for these amazing garments. As shared in Tuesday’s post:
It was explained to us by the tour guide that Natalie yearned for a slow, simple life and to provide a way for the folk of her home town, Florence, Alabama, to be able to use their skills to make a living wage. Indeed, she has accomplished that – and more. The company began in early 2000 with the creation of hand-sewn garments made from cotton jersey fabric. Pieces are made to order (6-8 weeks lead time) from 100% organic cotton, sewn by hand through a group of artisans using a cottage industry method of operation. Here is how it works as I recall it being explained:
An order for a specific garment in the ‘line’ is received.