Marfa Stance is proud to partner WITH GEE'S BEND
From the early twentieth century to the present day, the women of Gee’s Bend – a small, remote, Black community in Alabama, USA – have been creating hand-stitched, geometric quilt works, now internationally recognised as modern masterpieces. Despite this recognition, the artisans have experienced difficulty in monetizing their work and the community has struggled financially.
Gee's Bend Collection
marfa stance and gee's bend
Now Marfa Stance, through partnership with NEST, a non-profit organization supporting responsible and creative engagement with artisans from across the globe, has collaborated with Gee’s Bend on a unique project: a collection of one-of-a-kind homewares, garments and art created by its artisans, which will generate revenue for the community and provide a blue-print for future income streams.
Combining Marfa Stance’s signature contemporary quilt fabrications with Gee Bend’s artisan techniques. Thirty-eight artisans have come together to work on the project, with two quilters or more per item. Each piece has taken over one week to make.
In a first for Gee’s Bend, the artisans have used luxury, designer-provided fabrics for their designs – colourful cashmeres, wools and fly-weight nylons, all leftover from Marfa Stance production in Italy – combined with their own found fabric, resulting in striking colour and material juxtapositions. The distinctive Gee’s Bend geometric designs were applied with traditional quilt piecing and sewing techniques, overlaid with Marfa Stance’s signature‘onion’ topstitch. Each work bears the quilter’s moniker. The 15 garments have been finished at the Marfa Stance factories in Italy.
Georgia Dant, founder and creative director of Marfa Stance says: “It has been a dream to collaborate with the women of Gee’s Bend. I have long been inspired by their minimalist art movement, with its stripped-back, modern geometric design. Through partnering with NEST, Marfa Stance is proud to have given Gee’s Bend its biggest production order to date making the largest positive financial impact on their community and helping to affect change.”
Claudia Pettway Charley, Community Manager of Gee’s Bend says: “This production order from Marfa Stance is the largest brand collaboration to date, providing work and income for 38 quilters in the Gee’s Bend community. It was great to be able to allow so many quilters to take part in this collaboration, allowing them the opportunity to show off their abilities. I loved seeing younger quilters, as well as the more seasoned quilters, participate.”