From Classroom to Community: The CRL Trio’s Creativity and Sustainability at Design Tech
- Leila Ghasempor
- May 25
- 6 min read
Introduction: This month at People Around Us, we’re highlighting a community-driven creative project led by three Design Tech High School students—Cait, Reed, and Lexi, founders of CRL Design and Fashion (pronounced “Carl”).
I first met these students through Design Tech’s after-school art programs, Flex-X sessions, where their initiative and collaborative spirit immediately stood out. Their project designs crafts for real life, and focuses on creating free, handmade items for the community using repurposed materials. Their work spans tote bags, purses, garments, plush toys, keychains, and small expressive pieces—blending creativity, sustainability, and generosity in a way that feels both joyful and meaningful.
What makes CRL especially inspiring is not only the creativity behind the designs, but also the spirit of collaboration and imagination that connects everything they make.
At People Around Us, we celebrate creators who use their work to build connections and make a positive difference—and CRL is a beautiful example of that in action.
“Making the crafts free is our way of making sure everyone can be part of that journey.”
Figure. 2. Moments from Flex-X, an after-school creative space at Design Tech high school where students explore hands-on art, sewing, and experimental making.
The Spark → Turning Point to CRL
Leila (PEOPLE AROUND US): What was the specific moment or conversation that made the three of you decide to transition from classroom projects to starting CRL?
CRL: The idea for CRL started when Lexi and Reed joined Flex in the upper DRG. Reed was bored and didn’t have much to do, so Lexi decided to make him a bag. When Cait saw the bag, she loved it and suggested that the three of us turn the idea into a business. That sparked our decision to transition from classroom projects to starting CRL.
Figure. 3. The photo on the left, stylish tote bag, is the spark of the CRL initiative.
The Mission
Leila: Your focus is on "free crafts for the community." Why was it important to you to make your work accessible to everyone without a price tag?
CRL: We started CRL simply as a way to share our creativity with our community. Making the crafts free is our way of making sure everyone can be a part of that journey.
“People seem to appreciate handmade items because they are unique and more personal.”
Sustainability & Innovation:
Leila: You repurpose school materials and leftover fabrics. Do you find that working with these "limitations" actually makes you more creative? How has this taught you to see potential in discarded materials?
CRL: Absolutely, a lot of the time, someone orders something very specific, and we have to find a way to give them what they asked for with the limited materials we have. One example was a custom teddy bear order from our friend Simran. In the upper DRG, we don’t have any fluffy brown fabric, so we pivoted. We made Simran a fluffy Green Teddy Bear; she loved it, we loved making it, and it just goes to show that you can make anything if you use your imagination.
Figure. 4. Repurposed fabrics and sewing materials used in CRL projects..
The Creative Process:
Leila: How do you decide what to make next? Is there a specific "CRL vibe" or aesthetic that connects all your different pieces, from plushies to fashion?
CRL: Well, we sort of have a priority list, if you’ve ordered more recently then you're farther down the list but older orders we try and finish ASAP, although we do try and split up the work so each of us make one order. We usually just make orders but when we first started we just made things for fun like dresses, but they ended up being given to our customers.
The Trio Dynamic:
Leila: How do you divide the work? Does each of you have a "specialty" (e.g., technical sewing, design planning, or community outreach)?
CRL: Well, in CRL, it’s a pretty even split. Cait and Lexi are both amazing sewers, but Reed is in the process of learning, so when it comes to making orders, Reed is either making orders that don’t include sewing or asking Cait or Lexi to sew for him, ideating for orders Cait and Lexi are making, or focusing on things like marketing and events. As we mentioned, Cait and Lexi are usually sewing, but recently we’ve been receiving more handcrafted orders, like bracelets and keychains, which Cait usually takes care of. Cait is also our Social Ambassador, so she handles all emails, customer questions, etc. Lexi is our Head seamstress and project manager, so she is almost always at the sewing machine, making sure all of our orders are of high quality.
Figure 5. Photos of customers finished products.
Custom Creations:
Leila: All your products are uniquely designed based on specific orders. Can you walk us through the process of taking a customer's idea and turning it into a finalized CRL design?
CRL: So our ordering process is pretty simple, we have the order form both on our website and we send it out to our previous customers often. When we receive your order we first look at our supplies, we gather some fabric that matches your idea and then we begin to cut and sew, it's a pretty simple process, to make it feel more unique and creative we usually don’t sketch or plan, we just make what comes to mind.
Figure 6. Customers receiving their handmade CRL creations.
Rewarding Moments:
Leila: What has been the most memorable reaction you’ve received from someone who received one of your crafts?
CRL: It’s really hard to decide on what the most memorable reaction we’ve received is, but it has to be either Mr. Geva, or Annabelle Han. We gave Annabelle probably our most known product, the Giant Carrot Plushie. I believe this is where most people know us from, and it is one of our own personal favorites, even recreating miniature keychain versions of it. Mr. Geva on the other hand really helped boost CRL into sort of the “mainstream”. Mr. Geva is really supportive of CRL and loves to talk about how good the products are, and how much he loves them, etc, etc. We just would not be where we are right now without either of them and that’s why we’re so thankful for our customers.
Challenges:
Leila: What has been the most challenging part of running CRL so far?
CRL: The most challenging part of running CRL is probably the limited time we have in the upper DRG, we are a student led in school business and with our very limited time we have in the upper DRG it makes it pretty difficult to take care of everyone’s orders especially when we have a deadline like intersession.
Impact:
Leila: Have you noticed any change in how people respond to handmade or repurposed items?
CRL: Yes, absolutely, people seem to appreciate handmade items because they are unique and they are more personal than products that are mass-produced. They also love our products and the creativity that is used to make them.
Future Vision:
Leila: As you look toward the end of the school year, what is the "big goal" or dream for CRL?
CRL: Our big dream is to expand throughout the entire local community, that includes not just Dtech but also Woodside, Carlmont, Sequoia, we want all these places to be able to experience CRL.
Leila: CRL your vision for the future of CRL is inspiring! To help the readers really envision how this initiative will grow, could you expand on this aspect of your Big Dream?
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