TS Designs Announces Second Annual Certified Organic Cotton Harvest in NC
The Vision for a Transparent Supply Chain that Promotes NC Jobs Moves Forward
Burlington, N.C. — February 7, 2013 — In December 2012, TS Designs, in collaboration with Lewie Parrish, a local farmer based in Nash County, North Carolina, collected its second annual harvest of certified organic cotton in order to expand on its sustainable t-shirt line: “Cotton of the Carolinas Organic.”
The Cotton of the Carolinas project is making North Carolina farming history by organizing and supporting the growth of the first certified organic cotton in the state. Mr. Parrish worked again with Certification Specialist, Mary Wilks; and this year, he planted two different cotton varieties, LA17 and UA48. The total harvest yield was smaller than that of the 2011 harvest due to an unusual hail storm over the summer, but the yield per acre was greater. Fiber samples were sent to the USDA for confirmation, and the report confirms that this year’s cotton is of an even better fiber quality.
“We continue the journey of making the most sustainable shirts possible; and that path resonates with our passion about both the environment and creating more jobs in North Carolina.” said Eric Henry, President of TS Designs and visionary behind the Cotton of the Carolinas project. “We want to demo how to take such a valuable asset, like organic cotton that’s grown right here in North Carolina, and really maximize its use within North Carolina by focusing on the state’s heritage of textile production.”
Henry’s overall vision with Cotton of the Carolinas is not only to provide a transparent supply chain that consumers can connect with through a “Track Your Shirt” system, but also to keep as much of the cotton as possible in North Carolina to support jobs. Last year, High Cotton Ties, Raleigh Denim, Gaia Conceptions and Weaver Street Market were among the major players committed to supporting this endeavor. In addition, the project is still financed by Slow Money NC (http://slowmoneync.org/), which serves as another example of just how important utilizing local resources is to the heartbeat of TS Designs’ business model.
Even though the cotton has a global market value, Henry has reserved the cotton for NC-based businesses for the first 30 days in order to maximize the potential of using this NC Grown product for NC jobs. Due to the much lower volume harvest this year, TS Designs expects to sell out soon. Interested parties should contact Eric Henry (email Eric), if interested in purchasing yarn, fabric and, of course, t-shirts.
For more information or visual resources associated with this release, please email Jen Busfield at jen@tsdesigns.com.