May 21, 2013
“Craft” might seem like it’s for the amateurs, and “fashion” for the auteurs. Yet we live in an age where creativity and innovation are increasingly found in collaborations between makers and users, crafters and designers, designers and manufacturers, and in the loosening of the boundaries between them. – MAKESHIFT 2012 The MAKESHIFT conversation began last [...]
May 16, 2013
Last night we kicked off our Makeshift 2013 conversations with an intimate dinner hosted by friends Lisa Fox and Rosanne Cash. It was wonderful to hear all of the conversations running through the night, from the study of 50 pages of Proust, to the intellectual property rights on patterns. Come back tomorrow for more New [...]
May 10, 2013
Lately, we’ve dedicated several journal posts to Mom in anticipation of her holiday this Sunday. Mother’s Day often feels like a holiday remembered at the last minute – a rush to find a card, a brunch reservation in lieu of a gift. But when we started brainstorming for posts about mom a few months ago, [...]
April 22, 2013
We’ve quickly fallen in love with Dust-to-Digital’s recordings and hardcover book compilations. The third in our series, Never A Pal Like Mother: Vintage Songs & Photographs of the One Who’s Always True, is perhaps the most sentimental and most resonating collection yet.
December 31, 2012
It’s the time of year when most of us start to look back at the past year to take stock and plan for the next. As a company, Alabama Chanin is no different. With a lot of help from our friends, we’ve brought the year to a (BIG) close with our first online Garage Sale. [...]
August 29, 2012
Last month, I had the incredible honor of hosting a studio visit from three amazing women who have inspired me for years. On a beautiful summer day, Rosanne Cash, Gael Towey, and Maira Kalman arrived in Florence for a two day sewing workshop and adventure. The idea for the trip was hatched on a spring [...]
June 1, 2012
Today we share our final MAKESHIFT post (for this year) of observations and thoughts from participants. Many have already written, photographed, or posted about their experiences during the week. Ellie Levine at STC Craft created a timeline of the MAKESHIFT events – a beautiful recap using images and social media platforms which you can read here. Compiled [...]
May 29, 2012
After taking time to reflect on our recent week in New York for MAKESHIFT, I’m already thinking about MAKESHIFT 2013. Here are some highlights from the conversation at The Standard Talks. We reported the MAKESHIFT events here on the blog throughout the week, and had great press coverage from the New York Times, Style.com, Page [...]
May 19, 2012
Crafting Fashion, a pop-up shop curated by Alabama Chanin and Billy Reid, featured designers- Alabama Chanin, Susan Cianciolo, HEATH Ceramics, George Esquivel, Hugo & Marie, Imogene + Willie, Pamela Love, Leigh Magar, Maria Moyer, Billy Reid, Albertus Quartus Swanepoel, Tucker, and Kenlynn Wilson. Thanks to everyone for the great turn out. And a bigger thank you [...]
May 18, 2012
Among the most meaningful things I’ve ever found in a thrift store was a pair of dresses I unearthed at the Goodwill in Durham, North Carolina. One was a white summer dress with a fitted bodice and a full skirt dotted with embroidered flowers. The other was a pink sequined number straight out of an [...]