This Supply Chain Makes Products for
TS Designs uses this supply chain to produce t-shirts for custom print and dye customers nationwide. You can request a quote for your own custom printed t-shirts at tsdesigns.com.
Key Info About Your Shirt
Travels Only
Miles Dirt-to-Shirt
(as the crow flies)Made From
cotton
grown in the CarolinasYour shirt was made from 100% cotton grown in Wadesboro, NC.
This supply chain is designed to provide locally-produced apparel with the smallest transportation footprint possible, grown and made entirely in the Carolinas.
Your Supply Chain's Name
WYC supply chains are named after innovations in textile manufacturing throughout history. This supply chain's name is Spinning Mule.
The spinning mule is a machine used to spin cotton yarn. It was invented between 1775 and 1779 by Samuel Crompton as a hybrid of the spinning jenny and water frame, the two dominant spinning devices up until the spinning mule’s invention. The term mule was chosen because, like the spinning mule is a combination of two different machines, the animal is the product of crossbreeding two different species.
Meet the Makers of Your Shirt!
Thurman Burleson & Sons Farm
Cotton FarmContact | Ronnie Burleson |
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wegrowcotton@hotmail.com | |
Phone | 704.982.5066 |
Location | 34 Chewning Road, Wadesboro, NC, United States |
A 3rd generation farmer, Ronnie owns Thurman Burleson & Sons Farm along with his brother Dennis, son Andrew, and nephew Aaron.
Ronnie continues his father’s cutting edge farming techniques and practices; he and his family were the first to bring cotton back to the Piedmont region in 1991, having left the area 40+ years before because of the boll weevil.
Of the 3400 acres that make up Ronnie’s farm, 2000 of it is cotton, the rest a mix of corn and soybeans.
Rolling Hills Gin
Cotton GinContact | Wes Morgan |
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wes@rollinghillsgin.com | |
Phone | 704.984.6800 |
Website | click here |
Location | Rolling Hills Gin, 29107 Kendalls Church Road, New London, NC, United States |
After the resurgence of cotton in the Piedmont region of NC, started by his uncle Ronnie Burleson, Wes and 4 branches of his family pooled their resources and created Rolling Hills Gin in 1996 to fill the need for local farmers.
Because ginning is only performed during the harvest months, only 4 people are employed fulltime at Rolling Hills, including Wes. The rest of the employees work from October through December, but do so 12 hours/day, 6 days a week minimum.
Hill Spinning
Yarn SpinnerEmployees | 40 |
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Contact | Mark Leonard |
leonja3@aol.com | |
Phone | 336.472.7908 |
Website | click here |
Location | Hill Spinning Mill, 602 Davidson Street, Thomasville, NC, United States |
Hill Spinning is a family owned and operated spinning mill that specializes in spinning cotton yarn. Hill’s operational philosophy is simple but effective: buy good cotton and don’t screw it up.
Mark Leonard is a 3rd generation owner of Hill. He believes in a slow, paced, deliberate approach to cleaning and spinning, which produces a high quality, even, strong, but still very soft yarn.
Spunlab Performance Yarns
Yarn SpinnerEmployees | 225 |
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Contact | Doug Woolweaver |
doug.woolweaver@spunlab.com | |
Phone | 803.663.3827 |
Website | click here |
Location | 418 Ascauga Lake Road, Graniteville, SC, United States |
SpunLab is a privately-held company with over 100 years of expertise in manufacturing. Their facility in Graniteville is designed to act a s a laboratory for their customers, working with natural, synthetic, technical, and blended fibers to offer a wide range of yarn options.
Contempora Fabrics
Fabric KnitterContact | Ron Roach |
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rroach@contemporafabrics.com | |
Phone | 910.738.7131 |
Website | click here |
Location | Contempora Fabrics Inc, 351 Contempora Drive, Lumberton, NC, United States |
Contempora Fabrics was founded in 1972 by Lacy C. Nance. In 1984, the company transitioned to 40% employee-owned via an Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP), then went 100% ESOP in 1988.
Contempora considers its 150 owners/employees its most important asset, and attributes its growth to its highly skilled workforce and modern equipment.
Alandale Industries
Fabric KnitterEmployees | 60 |
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Contact | Shawn Ouimet |
souimet@alandale.net | |
Phone | 910.576.1291 |
Website | click here |
Location | Alandale Industries, 208 Burnette Street, Troy, NC, United States |
Carolina Cotton Works
Fabric FinisherEmployees | 180 |
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Contact | Stacey Bridges |
sbridges@carolinacotton.com | |
Phone | 864.488.2824 |
Website | click here |
Location | Carolina Cotton Works Inc, 14 Commerce Drive, Gaffney, SC, United States |
South Fork Industries Inc
Fabric FinisherContact | Everette Owens |
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everette@southforkind.com | |
Phone | 704-732-6946 |
Website | click here |
Location | South Fork Industries Inc, 535 Elm Grove Road, Lincolnton, NC, United States |
Industries of the Blind
Cut / SewContact | Dave LoPresti |
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dlopresti@iob-gso.com | |
Phone | 336-274-1591 |
Website | click here |
Location | Industries of the Blind Inc, 914 West Gate City Boulevard, Greensboro, NC, United States |
TS Designs
Print / DyeEmployees | 22 |
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Contact | Eric Henry |
eric@tsdesigns.com | |
Phone | 336.229.6426 |
Website | click here |
Location | TS Designs, 2053 Willow Springs Lane, Burlington, NC, United States |
TS Designs is a screen printing business founded in 1977 by Tom Sineath.
Once catering to the big apparel brands (Nike, Tommy, Polo, GAP, etc.), TS Designs changed its business model and mission after seeing the destructive effects of NAFTA and globalization on its industry.
TSD now provides unique, American-made printed t-shirts, including Cotton of the Carolinas, a shirt grown and made entirely in North and South Carolina.