In October of 2016, Natalie, a group of friends, and her daughter (then ten years old) take a roadtrip to visit Scott Peacock at his home in Marion, Alabama. They are joined by a group of makers: Rinne Allen, Kathy Hattori of Botanical Colors, Hunter Lewis and Liz Sidamon-Eristoff of BDA Farm, and Ozella Thomas—native to (and expert on) the Black Belt. Not knowing where to begin writing about their adventure-filled weekend in the Black Belt, Natalie calls Scott a few weeks later to reminisce, and question him, about some of the more memorable moments.
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Erin Reitz joined Alabama Chanin’s design team in 2016. Today, she is the Design Director and has collaborated with Natalie on some of our most iconic collections.
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In 2016, trend forecaster Li Edelkoort founds New York Textile Month, a festival and exhibition that repositions textiles, often overlooked as a means to an end, as central to modern design. New York Textile month celebrates these materials that are so deeply woven into our lives, their rich and diverse history, and encourages a dialogue around innovation in sustainable design. For the inaugural issue of NYTM’s Talking Textiles magazine, Natalie writes an essay entitled “Flags of Hope.”
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Erin Reitz co-founds, with friend and designer Kerry Speake, a Charleston-based shop called The Commons selling responsibly produced, American-made goods for the home. In 2015, Erin and Kerry launch a partnership with STARworks, a non-profit from Star, North Carolina, that focuses on supporting the local economy through art and craft. Their collaboration produces a tableware line that includes hand-blown glassware and wheel-thrown ceramic pieces.
After Erin joins the Alabama Chanin design team in 2016, the relationship inspires a special collaboration between The Commons and Alabama Chanin, featuring hand-blown glassware that is color blocked with white glass at the base. When the pieces are made, it is unknown how the colors will react together until the process is complete. Each piece—the glass pitchers, large 16 ounce glasses, and smaller 8-ounce glasses—is unique and one-of-a-kind. The Shelter Collection at Alabama Chanin prides itself on American-made craftsmanship.
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