Seeds of Change: Brown Family Farms’ Evolution in Hemp
TS Designs has been a supporter of the use of hemp in the textiles industry for years, and we are finally getting to dig into this venture. Established in 1865 in Henderson, NC, Brown Family Farms stood as a testament to agricultural legacy, initially rooted in...
Customer Spotlight: Ran-Lew Dairy
"I am not famous. I am infamous." We spent a hot day at Ran-Lew Dairy talking with farmer Randy Lewis. He is well known in Alamance County for many things, including being the owner of one of the last remaining dairy farms in Alamance County, Ran-Lew Dairy in Eli...
Driving Sustainability: A Glimpse into Our Initiatives Benefitting People + Planet
People. Planet. Profit. Looking through the triple bottom line lens drives our journey as we continue to ask ourselves how we can improve our impact to people and the planet. Here are a few ways we are improving our impact: Our Business Initiatives B Corporation...
Customer Spotlight: Saxapahaw General Store
Our August “Customer Spotlight” is awarded to the one and only Saxapahaw General Store, also known as ‘Your local five-star gas station.”
Radical Transparency Starts Here
Today, overseas manufacturing operations make up 98% of the clothing we purchase here in the United States. In this situation, it’s difficult to learn anything about where our clothes come from, and difficult to exercise our buying power to influence the market. We...
Celebrating Black History Month – First Black-Owned Textile Mill Made History
To commemorate Black History Month, we’d like to celebrate the first African American owned and operated textile mill, which is less than 100 miles from TS Designs’ Burlington, North Carolina headquarters. Built in the late 1890s, the mill broke ground literally and...
People, Planet, Profit: The Triple Bottom Line Leads Us into 2022
In 2021, TS Designs made strides in advancing our dirt-to-shirt mission while focusing on a triple bottom line: People, Planet, and Profit.
6 Surprisingly Good Ways To Upcycle Your T-Shirts During the Holidays
Imagine 13 million tons of clothes and shoes in a big pile in your backyard (if you have a really big backyard, of course.). Thirteen million times two thousand — that’s a lot of zeroes! Did you know that’s the amount of clothing and shoes the EPA estimates ended up...
Supporting Local This Holiday Season? There’s No Better Time.
The holiday season has come around again, and there’s no better time to support local than during the season of giving. To learn more about the opportunity to shop local during the holidays, we sat down with Malik Walker, Market Manager at the 2021 Saxapahaw...
Does Transparency in the Fashion Industry Matter? We Say, “Yes!”
Merriam-Webster says transparency is “the quality or state of being transparent – characterized by visibility or accessibility of information especially concerning business practices.” If you’ve followed our work for any length of time, you’ve heard us talk...
How Shopping for the Lowest Price Undermines Cotton Farmers
Shopping for the lowest price has become a sport of sorts. End-of-the-season clearance sales and special holiday pricing has won many of us over, and we’ve gotten used to celebrating when we’ve scored a good deal. Sarah Kelley, Principal of Common Threads Consulting,...
Why Buyers and Brands Should Rethink the Way We Pay Cotton Farmers
In a multi-billion-dollar global industry, farmers have become invisible. Though they’re essential to every aspect of our daily lives — from food to clothing—they’re often forgotten. Sowing their seeds, hoping for rain (but not too much). Waiting for harvest, and then...
Why Family Farmers Need an Effective Alternative to Commodity Pricing
Family farmers are at the very beginning of the agricultural supply chain, and they’re some of the most vulnerable in a commodity marketplace.
Upcyled T-Shirt Ideas to Help You Go Plastic-Free
For Plastic Free July, we’re sharing upcycled t-shirt ideas to replace things usually made from plastic with natural fibers.
Celebrate International T-shirt Day at TS Designs on June 18
International T-shirt Day is coming up, so we're celebrating with a T-shirt Party at TS Designs' headquarters in Burlington, NC on Friday, June 18! International T-Shirt Day Party Friday, June 18, 2021 4:00pm-7:00pm TS Designs 2053 Willow Springs Ln, Burlington, NC...