Overview
3x1 founder Scott Morrison is motivated about the retail opportunities to come.
Deep Dive
With a premium denim pedigree that spans more than two decades, you might think 3×1 founder Scott Morrison would rest on old laurels, but the denim aficionado, who is also responsible for launching Paper Denim & Cloth and Earnest Sewn, likes to stay in the trenches.
“I can be working on product design or sitting in a fitting, reviewing our seasonal collections, working with a retail client, connecting with one of our mills in search of new denims, working on production technology with our factory, or going through budgets or calendars,” Morrison said. “No one day is ever like another.”
His passion for denim is evident at 3×1’s atelier in New York City, which he opened in 2011 long before most denim brands started talking about transparency. Housing selvedge fabric from all over the world and a 24-person factory behind glass, the workshop allows consumers to experience firsthand the world of 3×1 jean making.
Morrison is excited about the opportunity that’s present in today’s denim industry. “We are living in a time where fashion is more democratic than ever, which gives smaller brands an opportunity to have a greater say,” he said. “Crowdfunding, crowdsourced merchandising, non-traditional retail, direct-to-consumer, the role of the influencer…it’s all incredibly exciting and these are just a few of the ideas that have come in the past five to 10 years.”
In the next five to 10, Morrison said he expects see even more opportunities as barriers come down. He’s particularly keen to see new ideas emerge around sustainability and hopes more brands and suppliers embrace technologies that make denim more ethical.
“I’m hoping that these brands and suppliers will be rewarded for their commitment to cleaning up our industry, and subsequently become a baseline or standard for making denim and jeans throughout the world,” he said.
The industry is in the midst of change—which also means opportunity, Morrison added.
“Opportunity to rewrite rules, to think about processes differently and bring incredible products to market in a more thoughtful, considerate way,” he said.
What is your first denim memory?
“One of my first denim experiences was my mom taking me to pick out a pair of jeans. I remember going to a place near where I lived in Southern California. It was called Miller’s Outpost, and they had hundreds if not thousands of jeans in stock. I remember picking out a pair of Levi’s, taking them home and my mom sitting me down in the bathtub so that they would ‘shrink to fit.’”
What is your favorite pair of jeans?
“I’m usually wearing a pair of 3x1 M3’s, typically worn from raw, never washed more than two or three times. I keep 10 to 12 pair on a pretty steady rotation and occasionally go a few weeks wearing the same pair if I’m feeling particularly fond of them.”