02/21/2025
Mission, Legacy, and Why We Became a Nonprofit
Twenty-five years ago, I moved back to my hometown of Florence to create a short documentary film, STITCH, and 200 one-of-a-kind T-shirts, handcrafted by artisans in The Shoals.
When I began this work, the concept of a for-profit business with a social mission was either nonexistent or beyond my awareness. From the very beginning, however, Alabama Chanin incorporated a clear social and ecological mission into its business model. We worked with recycled T-shirts, bought organic, American-grown cotton, paid skilled artisans to sew by hand, created jobs, and facilitated community gatherings. We held maker workshops, nurtured supply chains, and dreamed of a safer, more equitable industry that honored place, people, and planet—looking to the past while working toward a better future. Over time, the mission came to transcend the business itself.
In 2023, at a time when several important sustainable brands and American-made manufacturers were struggling, I began asking: What happens to a community, state, or nation when we no longer know how to make? How do we preserve generational and industrial knowledge of making and production? How do we restore dignity to this work? When we talk about sustainability, how do we build systems of food, clothing, and shelter that honor humanity? And how do we, as an organization, ensure our survival in an uncertain future?
Thanks to a generous donation, in 2023, Project Threadways conducted a Constituent Study with stakeholders in our community, across the state, and around the nation. The results of this study helped guide a monumental shift: At the start of 2024, Alabama Chanin, The School of Making, and Project Threadways transitioned into a single nonprofit organization, with cultural heritage and craft preservation at its core.
This not-for-profit structure allows us to establish and grow a Board of Directors that shares a commitment to this mission—protecting and guiding the organization, alongside our incredible team, into the future.
Under this structure, Project Threadways can:
Apply for and receive grant, foundation, and individual donor funding to continue the work of documenting, studying, teaching, and interpreting stories of fashion and textiles—stories that are at risk of remaining untold as generational knowledge ceases to be passed down now and into the future.
Develop creative partnerships with academic institutions on educational initiatives, which are already underway (more details coming soon).
Continue this vital work outside of a traditional business structure—one that often prioritizes profit over people, relies on offshoring, underpays workers, and perpetuates environmental degradation.
A better way is possible.
A global community has supported this work in countless ways—shopping Collection pieces, attending workshops and symposia, buying organic cotton fabric, joining The School of Making Club, sharing stories, making a donation, hosting events, and so much more.
Every gift of any amount makes a difference. Every story shared ensures the future of this work. Every contribution matters, and we appreciate each and every one and all. Explore ways to contribute here: https://alabamachanin.com/donate
With deepest gratitude for your support of this mission and vision.
xo Natalie and all of us @ Project Threadways
Organically and ethically produced, thoughtfully designed, women's fashion, home, and tabletop. Alabama Chanin retains the same intention and integrity today.
