“A longing for excitement can be satisfied without external means within oneself: For creating is the most intense excitement one can come to know.” – Anni Albers
Anni Albers, one of the original students trained at the Bauhaus school in Germany, was a true innovator in textile design. Though she worked as a multi-disciplinary artist, the bulk of her career centered on textiles, which she used as an experimental medium; she often used non-traditional and unusual materials in her weaving, like horsehair, metallic threads, hemp, plastic, and cellophane. She also moved freely between handwoven and industrial textile production—a strategy we also employ at Alabama Chanin.
Traditional weavers have often created floral motifs or elaborate, decorative patterns, but Anni Albers focused on abstract visuals, organic shapes, and geometric forms. Her approach was revolutionary for the time and spurred a reexamination of textiles as an art form—in both their functional and decorative forms. Her use of straight lines and solid colors placed emphasis upon the importance of color usage and demonstrated that simple forms and shapes could be as expressive as an intricate design.
Our design team has created several new Core Essentials that draw direct inspiration from Anni Albers’ design thinking and best-known woven textiles. The Easy Dress (available in sleeveless and cap-sleeve versions) and the Crop Tee feature an Albers-inspired stripe motif. Other new introductions include the V-Neck and Crew Tees and The Everyday Tunic and Dress, with a side vent. All of the garments are designed for easy summer wear and made with our signature 100% organic medium-weight cotton jersey.
Left: The Easy Dress; Right: Lily Tee and The Rib Skirt
View our updated Collection for a look at the new garments, inspired by the life and work of Anni Albers.
Top: Annelise Dress and The Lightweight Leggings; Bottom left: Lily Tee; Bottom Right: The Everyday Dress