Natalie “Alabama” Chanin
Natalie “Alabama” Chanin will speak to fashion design and merchandising students on Tuesday, April 29th at 7:00 PM in VCU Student Commons, 907 Floyd Avenue, SALON 4 on the Virginia Commonwealth University campus. The talk is open to all VCU students and the public. Natalie Chanin is best known for her work as co-founder and designer of Project Alabama, which became known for elaborately embellished and completely hand-sewn garments, made from recycled materials by local artisans and sold in stores around the world. Natalie was a critic for one of the design studios in the Department of Fashion Design and Merchandising this semester.
Ms. Canin creates projects that reflect a wide range of disciplines, from sustainable clothing and home furnishings to a limited edition jewelry line. Natalie is currently developing an archive of oral histories entitled, “The History of Textiles,” which is a collection of oral histories from textile workers including farmers and their wives, displaced factory workers and home sewers. Her documentary film, “Stitch,” is like a road map through rural America as told through the eyes of those who made quilts, as well as those who used them.
Today, Natalie runs Alabama Chanin, a company which continues to enlist the craftsmanship of local artisans and strives to bring a contemporary context to age-old techniques. Natalie sees herself as a perpetuator of what she calls the “Living Arts”. These Living Arts consist of craft and traditions that have been passed down through generations of women and men – connecting us to our roots, our past, our community, and consequently to our present. Natalie has a Degree in Environmental Design from North Carolina State University and works simultaneously as designer, manufacturer, stylist, filmmaker, mother, artisan, cook and collector of stories from her home in Florence, Alabama.
http://www.alabamachanin.com/
