Next Step, The

Roberts, Carolanne Griffith

SOUTHERNERS

There's life after Project Alabama-lots of Life.

Good news. Natalie Chanin, who conceived Project Alabama, takes her next step-a creative leap-with a new company called Alabama Chanin. At first glance, it looks a bit like her original endeavor, the handmade garments from recycled T-shirts and evening wear with painted-on imagery that splashed big on the pages of major fashion magazines. The new venture takes the thinking forward to include jewelry (charms and bracelets cast from fabric); farm chairs, saved, rewoven, and stenciled; upholstery fabrics; patterns (from the famous Project Alabama corset to swing skirts); and her trademark custom clothing hand-pieced and assembled by 30 women around Florence, Alabama. She also fuels up her Quilt Project, rescuing vintage coverlets by repairing them, adding appliqué, and embroidering excerpts from textile worker oral histories. "We're rooted in the Old South, giving it a New South Now feeling," Natalie says, having birthed both a company and a daughter since Project Alabama. "We take what was and move forward."

WHERE TO FIND

Look for an Alabama Chanin storefront soon in Florence, or shop upscale destinations including Jeffrey Atlanta. Bergdorf Goodman, and Barneys New York. Visit www. alabamachanin.com for more information on trunk shows and additional events near you.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Mar 2008
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