Farm Aid
Dirt to Shirt
Our limited edition Farm Aid 2014 shirt is made with 100% organic cotton, and it's grown and made entirely in the Carolinas. The creation of this shirt supports over 500 jobs in a little less than 750 miles. Every shirt can be traced through the entire supply chain.
Farm
Organic Cotton
Our shirt begins with organic cotton grown in 2011 by Orpha Gene Watson of Hickory Meadows Organics in Nash County, NC. Conventional cotton production uses more insecticides than any other single crop, which is why we think it's important to support the family farmers seeking to grow our most important fiber in a way that's good for our soil and water, farmers and farmworkers, and our planet.
Gin
Zero Waste
On to Whitaker's Gin. Joel Boseman's crew separates the cotton fibers from the seedpods, sticks, twigs, and husks that become mixed with the cotton during harvesting.
Organic Dairy
Waste Not Want Not
The seeds go to an organic dairy farm and make an excellent feed for the cows. Thanks to Orpha, George Teague's cows enjoy a great meal.
Spin
Strong and Soft
Mark Leonard is a 3rd generation owner of Hill Spinning. He believes in a slow-paced, deliberate approach to cleaning and spinning, which produces a high quality, even, strong, but still very soft yarn.
Knit
Hugs You Back
Our newly spun yarn travels over to Karen Curtis at Professional Knitting. During the knit process, spun yarn is turned into cloth by pulling loops, called stitches, through one another. Our cotton is circularly knit, creating a seamless tube for the body.
Finish
Good to the touch
Stacey Bridges at Carolina Cotton Works takes the knitted cloth and finishes it into a usable fabric to improve the look, performance, and feel. Now it's ready to be cut.
Cut & Sew
Perfect Patterns
After the cotton's been finished, it travels down the road to Jack Marsh at Hemingway Apparel. His family-run team cuts and sews the cotton fabric into a t-shirt. Then it's off to the printer.
Don't Fade Away
TS Designs changed its business model after seeing the destructive effects of globalization on its industry. Their waterbased inks become part of the shirt, rather than sitting on top of it, resulting in a print you can’t feel, and won’t crack, peel or fade over time.
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Thanks for Stopping By
Thank you to Chipotle Mexican Grill for their generous support in creating this special shirt.
Thanks to TS Designs and their vision of Cotton of the Carolinas to bring locally produced, organic cotton clothing to market. Thanks to Orpha Gene Watson for planting the seeds for organic cotton and healthy soil and water.
And thank you for touring the Carolinas with us. A lot of time and thought went into growing and crafting this shirt, and we hope you love it as much as we do.