Sustainable Studio Visit: 3 Women

By Kat Roberts, Jeffrey Palmer, and Denise Nicole Green

Introduction

“Sustainable Studio Visit: 3 Women” is the pilot episode of the documentary series Sustainable Fashion Stories, which explores the individualized and innovative practices of sustainable fashion makers. The designers featured in the series prioritize sustainability, quality, human health, and ecological well-being to begin transforming an exploitative industry that produces high-volume, inexpensive, and low-quality goods. Through upcycling, these makers propose possibilities for a new fashion industry built upon equity and creative reuse (Bridgens et al., 2018). The first series installment, featuring Crystal Lee Early and Natalie Mumford, co-founders and designers of the fashion brand 3 Women, was filmed within their mixed-use studio and retail space in Long Beach, California, to provide an intimate look at their practice of using vintage and archival textiles to create distinctive, one-of-a-kind, locally made garments. 

The objective of this paper is to interpret the critical and creative innovations and challenges in the fashion upcycling community and why telling the story of upcyclers in multiple media forms (e.g., film, open-access essays, etc.) is important in raising awareness and understanding of the movement. This film was created to disseminate findings from a qualitative research study of upcycled fashion brands. Specifically, it addresses the following questions: Who are the diverse makers behind the contemporary upcycled fashion movement? What are their motivations for upcycling? How do their design and production practices differ from those used in the traditional fashion industry? 

Upcycling is defined as using pre- and post-consumer materials to create new items that are of equal or greater value than their original components (Bridgens et al., 2019; McDonough & Braungart, 2002; Sung et al., 2021). The practice differs from recycling because of its transformative nature and potential to be a low-cost, highly accessible design intervention. Presently, the dominant model in the fashion industry is a cradle-to-grave “take, make, dispose” system (Cooper, 2005; McDonough & Braungart, 2002; Moreno et al., 2016; Mutha, 2020). This model is linear and destructive, meaning that raw materials are extracted to make fashion products that are ultimately discarded (McDonough & Braungart, 2002). Resource depletion and pollution occur within the production and disposal phases of the current fashion system, which causes significant damage to people and the planet (Mutha, 2020; Roy Choudhury, 2014). These harms are exacerbated by rising rates of fast fashion consumption and expeditious disposal (Mutha, 2020; Yan et al., 2021). 

Unlike the linear production model, circular systems recapture resources in the post-consumption phase to be used again (McDonough & Braungart, 2002). Knowledge of circularity has grown in recent years thanks to the work of fashion activists and non-profits such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) (Barber, 2021; de Castro, 2021; Slow Factory, 2020). These individuals and organizations have directed much needed attention, advocacy, and funding toward innovations that eliminate pre- and post-consumer waste (EMF, 2017). The larger industry may be taking some steps towards this goal but is moving too slowly to address necessary and urgent changes. Scalability is often cited as a significant barrier to circularity, especially for large profit-driven companies that rely on speed, consistency, and efficiency. 

Figure 1

A dress form and rack of garments pictured within 3 Women’s studio and retail space in Long Beach, California. Photo by authors.

Due to the lacking quality of modern fast-fashion garments, the post-consumer materials presented to upcycling makers tend to be inconsistent, smaller in size, and contain signs of wear. Working with these imperfections requires flexibility, continual problem-solving, and varied creative interventions, all of which contribute to slower production times. Still, a fast-growing contingent of small and medium-sized brands around the globe are making strides toward robust closed-loop production (Monyaki, 2022; Pashkevych et al., 2020; Sung et al., 2020). This new crop of brands follows in the footsteps of influential labels that came before, such as Raeburn, From Somewhere, XULY.Bët, and many others. Fashion scholars such as Sandy Black (2008), Sass Brown (2013), and Kate Fletcher and Lynda Grose (2012) have been instrumental in spreading awareness about upcycling brands and their transformative practices. Circularity has the potential to democratize the industry, which has led to an influx of fashion makers with highly diverse identities, backgrounds, and skill sets located outside of fashion’s “world cities” (Breward & Gilbert, 2006). Many of these designers do not have formal fashion training, but instead use creativity and sustainable reuse to innovate new aesthetics and sustainable business models that attract attention and emulation by larger, more established manufacturers. 3 Women exemplifies this movement. 

In the pilot episode of Sustainable Fashion Stories, maker/designer/entrepreneurs Early and Mumford candidly discuss the challenges of starting a fashion brand without previous design experience. The designers’ shared love of textile history and supporting community, paired with Early’s work as a collage artist, helped them transcend their minimal industry inexperience. These factors also shaped the brand’s distinctive aesthetic. 

Early and Mumford attribute their ability to access high-quality, rare materials to their shared knowledge of textile history and deep ties to the resale community as longtime vintage sellers. Being intentional about messaging, material sourcing, and community commitments has further elevated their work, allowing the brand to reach audiences and consumers previously unaware of the fashion industry’s deleterious environmental and social impact. This has made Early and Mumford influential voices within the sustainable fashion community. The founders have spoken at events such as Re/WORKED’s Circular Design Summit, in addition to their work being featured in various fashion media and magazines such as W, Teen Vogue, Cool Hunting, and V. 

Figure 2

3 Women co-founder Crystal Lee Early with a rack of bespoke upcycled garments. Photo by authors.

3 Women’s holistic approach to running their business embodies many attributes described in R. Edward Freeman’s stakeholder theory (1984). Under a capitalist economic system, many businesses take a shareholder-centric approach, which prioritizes creating value primarily for company shareholders. Stakeholder theory, on the other hand, emphasizes a holistic viewpoint that strives to create value for all individuals and communities an organization interacts with (Freeman, 1984). In addition to providing their customer base with high-quality, sustainable garments, Early and Mumford’s brand also benefits their community through collaborations with local production partners, hosting community gatherings such as art nights, and diverting secondhand materials from the waste stream. 

This series will be disseminated through open-access channels with the aim of educating designers and the public about the work of these makers. Currently, it is being shared on YouTube. Additionally, a dedicated Instagram account, @sustainable_fashion_stories, will be used to spread the word about the series. This account will provide imagery, short video snippets from the interviews, and a link in the bio that leads to the series’ YouTube page. The initial episodes will focus on fashion upcyclers, though future installments will include fashion makers engaging with other meaningful sustainability initiatives. Upcycling is a vital aspect of the circular economy; however, the survival of brands engaging with this notoriously difficult business model requires support from the broader industry and consumers. As the film highlights, Early and Mumford demonstrate how creativity and connection can be leveraged to create viable alternative production models that challenge Western capitalist understandings of waste. This film celebrates the work of these changemakers and brings their story to wider audiences. 

References

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Author Bios

Article Citation

Roberts, Kat, Jeffrey Palmer, and Denise Nicole Green. “Sustainable Studio Visit: 3 Women.” Fashion Studies, vol. 5, no. 2, 2025, 1-9. 10.38055/FS050204.