Woven with Purpose: The Story Behind yarn&whiskey
By Mood Magazine NYC
Some brands begin with a business plan. Others begin with a feeling.
For Tammi Williams, founder and creative director of Yarn & Whiskey, it all started with a simple moment at a party. A friend arrived wearing a scarf he had knitted himself. Something about seeing a handmade piece—created with intention rather than purchased off a rack—sparked an immediate curiosity.
“I had to learn,” she says.
Born and raised in New York City, Williams immersed herself in the city’s vibrant fiber arts community. She enrolled in classes, wandered fabric stores, studied textile traditions, and discovered that every fabric carries a story. What began as learning to knit and sew quickly became a lifelong exploration of craftsmanship, culture, and design.
Along the way, she fell in love with African textiles.
“I feel in command and fierce when I wear them.”
That feeling became the heartbeat of Yarn & Whiskey.
Originally launched as a collection of project bags for knitters and makers, the brand has evolved into a thoughtfully curated lifestyle collection featuring handcrafted bags, apparel, and accessories that blend vibrant African prints with Williams’ own original textile designs. Every piece is produced locally with an unwavering commitment to quality, sustainability, and intentional craftsmanship.
Before pursuing design full-time, Williams built a successful career in Information Technology. Yet the pull toward creativity never faded.
In 2024, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Textile and Surface Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology. During her studies, she expanded her understanding of global textiles through coursework at Heriot-Watt University, deepening a passion that had already shaped her life’s work.
“The degree didn’t give me a new direction,” Williams explains. “It gave me the tools to go deeper in the one I’d already chosen.”
Today, Yarn & Whiskey is becoming much more than a fashion label.
It’s a celebration of individuality.
It’s an invitation to embrace color boldly, craftsmanship unapologetically, and personal style without compromise.
Williams designs for people who appreciate thoughtful construction, fearless color, and objects that tell a story. Her customers don’t follow trends—they follow their own rhythm.
“They’ve never met a color they couldn’t wear. They live by their own soundtrack, and they want the things they carry and wear to reflect that.”
At Mood Magazine NYC, we believe the most compelling brands are built with purpose. Yarn & Whiskey reminds us that fashion is more than what we wear—it’s how we tell the world who we are before we ever speak.
Every stitch. Every pattern. Every collection reflects that philosophy.
And perhaps that’s why the brand feels so personal.
Because every piece begins with one simple intention:
“I make for them. Everything I do is for them.”
Yarn & Whiskey
Designed by Tammi Williams
Locally crafted. Sustainably made. Boldly expressive.
