The Archives
In 2000, designer, artist, and author Natalie Chanin returned to northwest Alabama and began a body of work rooted in textiles, handcraft, oral history, film, and place. What began as Alabama—a collection of 200 hand-sewn T-shirts made with local artisans—became the foundation for three connected organizations:
Alabama Chanin—A design and manufacturing practice centered on sustainable materials, artisanal craft, and local production.
The School of Making—Workshops and experiences exploring creativity, craft, design, and cultural knowledge through making.
Project Threadways—A 501(c)(3) nonprofit documenting and interpreting history, community, labor, and power through fashion and textiles—now the mission-driven umbrella for all of the work.
Together, they form a living archive of more than twenty-five years of design, art, making, research, and cultural documentation.
