Category Archives: Wisconsin

Every Garment Tells a Story – Handwarmers

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Our handwarmers have a nice little story that begins with a knitting factory in upstate New York.  The facility we use for our American-made knit goods is a fourth generation company that is one of the few facilities of its kind left in the country. They have a lot of old machinery and still do things the way they did 50 years ago.

They knit all of the cloth and then send it here to us in Oshkosh.  We then send it to a large laundering facility nearby to get all of the shrinkage out of the cloth.  The hand warmers actually come in one large knit piece, like a blanket,  and then our staff pulls out the threads that divide each row.

After the rows are divided they go to our sewing facility where they cut them into the width of the handwarmers and do all of the sewing. When the process is complete, we clean them up by looking for loose threads and then they are ready to package and ship.

Sweater Driving

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Recently, we partnered with the Oakwood Elementary School community on a Holiday sweater drive.  Green 3 is purchasing all of the sweaters Oakwood collected, with 100% of the proceeds going directly back to the Oakwood PTO.  As you most likely know, Green 3 will take those sweaters and turn them into scarves, hand warmers and even skirts.  What you may not know is that Oakwood is the environmental education charter school in our city, making their school a perfect fit for this type of initiative.

After the sweater drive wraps up we are inviting the Oakwood families to our company store for a special event.  We want to show them how are sweaters are made and what our company is about.  We love our community and are always looking for ways to connect our mission with others.  If you or someone you know would be interested in a similar event please contact Carla@green3apparel.com.

green 3; Lois’s Story

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Today we are sharing Lois’s story.  She works in our sewing department and her skill and knowledge have been essential to the products we make for you.

How did you get the job at green 3?

I retired early, but I like to stay busy.  When I started looking into other jobs, I had to be someplace at sometime every day, every week.  Sometimes my husband and I take off on little trips during the week, and it was interfering with my retirement.  Jim had asked a friend of mine (who I used to work with at Oshkosh B’ Gosh) if she knew anyone that might be interested in coming in to sew.  It was and is perfect.  In this position the hours are flexible, so if there is work, I can come in.   I love sewing and I love crafts, so now I feel like I’m being paid for my hobby.  It feels good to get out and there are such wonderful people who I work with here.  It has been the best thing that’s happen.

What is your favorite item (past or present) from the green 3 line?

The Tie Wrap Skirt and Suit Bags – How wonderful to be able to turn menswear into women’s fashion – I really like this idea and wish I had some of my dad’s suits & ties to make something memorable like this.  That is truly my favorite idea/product.

Your favorite green 3 moment?

(Laughs) Having a picture of my toes pinned to Pinterest!

What do you do for fun or what is something you are passionate about?

Sewing and quilting are my first true passions.  I also love being with people and family, I do a lot with my family.  My husband and I enjoy getting in the car and driving, just driving. After working and traveling for B’gosh I have no desire to deal with the airports anymore, so getting in the car is a real treat.  We go down to the Keys for 4 weeks during the winter and we don’t make reservations, we just get in the car and go.  I enjoy that.

Something interesting about you or your family?

I have two daughters and my oldest is getting married next weekend!  My youngest daughter is 28 and has down syndrome.  She still lives with us and we’re not ready to give her up, however she is probably ready to move out on her own (laughs).  A lot of people will say  ”I don’t know how you do it” but I say “I don’t know how I wouldn’t do it”.  I don’t know how my life would be without her but I know I have gained a lot from her.

 A “green” aspect you are proud to say you do?

My mother grew up in the Depression and it always bothered her all the waste that America is today p She used to find so many things to do with stuff that people would just through away. I take pride in looking at things and trying to find another use for it before throwing it throwing it away.

Advice for learning how to sew.

First, you must have the interest, if you have the interest, go for it.  Today, it’s almost like more of the repurposing and fixing items then it is starting from scratch sewing, because it’s almost not economical to buy the pattern, the fabric and the thread.   It ends up costing a lot of money.  There are so many times when I purchase something and the button falls off or the zipper breaks and what do people do…they throw it away.  It’s really sad but if you know how to sew, that doesn’t have to happen.   Find someone to teach you because there are so many benefits in knowing how to sew, even if you just want to make a small pillow, make a window curtain or accessories for your home, it’s nice be crafty and to know how to be able to do it.

green 3′s take on Lois:

Throughout my career I have always approached assembling an organization much like one would assemble a team.  On a team you need players who not only know their role on the field, but also players who can guide and inspire other players.  When we reached out to Lois and asked her to join our team, it was far more than just the x’s and o’s that we were looking to add. Lois is highly skilled, and in concert with Tina, can make anything that Sandy and her team can conceive. But for us, it goes way beyond that. Lois has an energy and a love for life that is infectious and inspires those around her. In addition, Lois keeps our “kids” on task while simultaneously making them feel safe and accepted. When Lois was on my team at B’Gosh I knew she bled blue and gold. But now I know she bleeds green, just like Sandy and I do. Plus, she’s a car lover and that makes her special too!  Seeing her pull into the parking lot in that red convertible puts a smile on my face everyday!

Back to School

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Kids arcross the country are gearing up for back to school and “our kids” are heading back too.  The hard working group below, spent their summer with us at green 3.  We are thrilled that many of them will continue working with us throughout the school year and others plan on returning during their college breaks.

From left to right are Hannah (Oshkosh West), Victoria (UW Eau Claire), Daphne (Oshkosh West), Sarah (UW Oshkosh), and Karch (UW Oshkosh).

All of the ladies pictured, helped out in our processing department by packaging, labeling, and tagging items. Hannah, Victoria, and Sarah also helped out in our sewing department by cutting materials that were to be sewn.  Daphne, helped out on the technical side of things, with our website and our blog.  Victoria, an art student at Eau Claire has had the role of creating this and this in the past, for us.  Karch, is our token warehouse guy, helping with large orders and shipments.  As college and high school students, we asked the girls what their top three, green 3 items would be for back to school and here is what they told us they’ll be wearing this fall:

zipper handwarmers

fox hat

fox shirt

We love having these “kids” around and wish them good luck and good study habits for the new school year.

green 3′s Art Director

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Today we have an employee interview you won’t want to pass on reading!   We want to introduce you to Jane, our Art Director.  Since the birth of the company in 2006, every item that has a graphic on it, Jane has designed and more often has even hand drawn it.

How did you get the job at green 3?

I was working with Jim on a freelance job for Oshkosh B’Gosh and he asked if I would meet with his wife, Sandy to help design a logo for her new business venture.  That was in August 2005, so it’s been 7 years already!

What is your favorite item (past or present) from the green 3 line?

From a graphics point of view, I really liked how both the butterfly kite tee and the peacock v-neck tee came out.

Favorite G3 moment;

Shooting the catalogs are always SO much fun!

What do you do for fun or what is something you are passionate about?

Hanging out with my family.  Our family runs in many different directions during the weekdays but we all make an effort to go to church on Sunday and spend the rest of the day as a family unit.

Something interesting about you or your family;

People don’t always realize that I’m half Asian and half Polish.  My mom is from Korea and because of that I wasn’t raised in the typical fashion of my peers.  I always felt that because of all the wonderful things my mom taught us that I should have been born in a past generation. 

A “green” aspect of your life that you are proud to say you do?

I don’t like to throw things away and try my best to repurpose it.  I use milk jugs as paint buckets and have repurposed several old dressers, turning one into a new entertainment center.

If someone asked for your advice about pursuing a career in graphic design what would you tell them?

Plan to go to college and get a formal education.  Even if your portfolio is strong you probably won’t get your foot in the door without it.  Send your portfolio with your resume and don’t forget that your resume is representative of your graphic design background it shouldn’t just be a plain white piece of paper.  Design your resume so it will stand out among the others.

Green3’s take on Jane:  I have been around a lot of artists throughout my corporate career, and Jane possesses a skill that is incredibly valuable to any brand.  She thinks in terms of the ultimate consumer and what they will like, as opposed to just what she likes.  Jane is able to move outside of her personal likes or dislikes, and passionately focus on making every piece of art be what’s best for the brand and the consumer we target.

Recycled Cotton at Green 3

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Today we are sharing a video of Jim Martin explaining our use of recycled cotton.  We use this type of cotton in our knit line and wanted to give you an idea of what that exactly means.  Our knit items have a wonderful and luxurious feel to them and our large throws are perfect for those brisk fall nights that are right around the corner.  We hope you enjoy the video!

 

Customized Letterman Sweater

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If you’ve received an Uncommon Goods catalog in the past few weeks, you may remember seeing this Customized Letterman Sweater. This item is only available through Uncommon Goods but there are a few other businesses involved (including us).  Like our tagline says “Every Garment Tells a Story”.

This story begins with our original partnership with Ripon Athletic.  A few years ago, through a network of friends, it came to our attention that Ripon Athletic was a bit slower during the fall season (when football season was underway and baseball uniform production was yet to begin). We asked if they’d be interested in helping us sew our sock monkey mittens during that time. They accepted and it really helped both of our companies to have that arrangement.  A year later, Uncommon Goods came to us, asking for a spring skirt that had an athletic feel, we knew just the people to help us fulfill that request.

As our relationship with Ripon Athletic continued we were thrilled to find out that they were the owners of the authentic Sand Knit label.   It could be found on athletic uniforms, apparel, and letterman jackets.  Items with that label were considered to be vintage by many, as it hadn’t been in production for years. Uncommon Goods and Ripon Athletic are now producing a Customized Letterman Sweater with the authentic Sand Knit label.   We are proud to be in business with both of these amazing companies and happy to have been a key stepping stone for their partnership.

But let’s be honest, the best part of this sweater is that your main squeeze can wear it to all of your games!