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If Los Angeles is the land of dreams, then three Cali designers might have just attained nirvana. Seven months ago, Gia Bahm (Unearthen jewelry), Tiffany Tuttle (LD Tuttle shoes), and Alex Cassaniti (her eponymous bathing suit line) decided to rent an ­industrial space in Little Armenia (near trendy Silverlake but more like NYC's Alphabet City 15 years ago) that they could share as a studio and showroom. Bahm donated "some succulents" and a 10-foot-long wooden table on casters that a friend found abandoned outside of a rock club; Cassaniti organized a post-move-in surfing trip to San Onofre; and Tuttle, the practical one, brought the fax machine and the garbage cans. "There's some extremely supportive vibrations between the three of us," says ­Cassaniti—so much so that she's currently collaborating with Bahm on a biodiverse vial necklace that will contain water from the Pacific Ocean, sand, compost, and oil.

The trio decided to join forces after agreeing that Los Angeles, with its urban sprawl and car culture, can be a pretty isolating place, particularly for young designers who work mostly by themselves. "You can be a lot more solo out here than in New York, and that's great, but we all wanted to be in closer touch with people, to stay current," says Bahm, who has been helping Tuttle figure out a way to incorporate chains onto boots.

While the twentysomethings definitely mix business with pleasure—on an average day, the Scorpions or Arthur Russell play on the stereo and someone runs around the corner to grab fresh ­baklava—all agree that work comes first. This season, Cassaniti, who was raised in Hawaii and San Diego, expanded her line of colorful neoprene swimsuits to include laser-cut bikinis so stylish that the tops can be worn off the beach. She also tested her cold-calling skills by reworking bank money bags into canvas drawstring backpacks. "I must have called every federal reserve in the country," Cassaniti says. "It's funny to carry a bag with a dollar sign down the street. People are always like, `Did you rob a bank?' or `Do you have money in there?' "

Meanwhile, Tuttle, who arrives at the studio early to Skype with her Italian manufacturers, created a fall collection of distressed ankle boots and patch-stitch booties inspired by the 1960s French sci-fi drama La Jetée. And Bahm, whose crystal pendants have a serious fashion following, is now trying her hand at watches. She collects vintage timepieces and then fixes fractured crystal pyramids onto the faces. "I have a hard time making something pretty," says the Seattle native, who last wore a Swatch in middle school. "This way it's fun to look at the clock instead of being stressed out by it."

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Clearly, it's a mantra for everything the designers do. Cassaniti is already planning the next camping trip on the beach. "Gia surfs a bit," she says. As for Tuttle? "We'll get her in the water eventually."

Bahm's, Tuttle's, and Cassaniti's Favorite L.A. Shopping Spots:

2. The Rose Bowl Flea Market

4. Ooga Booga

8. Creatures of Comfort

9. Opening Ceremony's new accessory shop, and the Beverly Hills Library (great selection of art books!)

10. The Hollywood Farmers Market!