How Florence, Alabama became a home for sustainably sourced clothing
Wilson Dam in Florence, Alabama Photo: John Coletti/Getty Images In the northwest corner of Alabama, across the Tennessee River from R&B recording mecca Muscle Shoals, is Florence, a town of 39,000. Before NAFTA, Florence was the Cotton T-shirt Capital of the World.
Natalie Chanin. Photo: Rinne Allen/Courtesy of Alabama Chanin At The Factory, Chanin and her team of 30 run Alabama Chanin, a womenswear brand specializing in flowing organic-cotton dresses and smart tailoring, all produced in the region. On Court Street, the town’s main thoroughfare, Reid has his headquarters and a shop — one of 11 nationwide.
Chanin grew up around cotton fields. Her maternal grandfather worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority, her paternal grandfather was a carpenter, and both were farmers. “My mother always throws out that she picked cotton to buy her school clothes,” she said with a laugh. Chanin’s maternal grandmother and great-grandmother worked at the Sweetwater Mill in Florence, producing military-issue underwear.
Inside the factory. Photo: Angie Mosier/Courtesy of Alabama Chanin One of Chanin’s first look books landed on the desk of Julie Gilhart, then the high-profile fashion director for Barneys. Gilhart’s forte was discovering and promoting young fashion talent, and she took a chance on Chanin. Several other retailers followed, including Ron Herman in Los Angeles and Browns in London.
Chanin does what she can to avoid labor issues that have long dogged the southern apparel industry. “There are a lot of people who ask, ‘How do you know it’s not child labor?’ ” she told me. “And I say, ‘Well, we’ve known Miss Betty now for 16 years. She’s 86 years old. She only does one particular kind of work. She doesn’t have any kids at her house crocheting snap covers.
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