The Groundwork
Our debut collection. An exploration that created the world we are building.
The Groundwork started with a fabric that soon became the brand's base cloth. A range of colours and a heavy paper-like texture that we kept being drawn back to. This fabric and its unique colour palette birthed the world we are building today.
Our aim was to build products with the intention of reaching the fabric's highest potential. A lot of our designs shared an idea of boxed shapes that held their structure, similar to the outfits we wore as kids, when you felt more free to be creative. Like a shirt or skirt you wore as a kid that fitted bigger and wasn't traditional, but you just loved how it sat on the body. Our base cloth helped us achieve that through our debut designs.
The long sleeve shirt runs on the same idea, a paper-like texture that holds structure and almost demands detail. It's one of the most complex pieces we've made, front panel welt seams with a hidden in-seam pocket, and it's built to work with the skirt as one silhouette, its side vent gives easy access to the skirt's own pockets underneath.
The Groundwork, Chapter 001. Designed in Boorloo.
Analogue Garden
A reflection on 'Play' and the nostalgia tied to it.
We wanted to capture the joy of childhood play and the imagination tied to it. Playing on portable consoles while out in the spring open, often teleported me into an imaginary world. Worlds that felt similar to those of Studio Ghibli.
The film 'Princess Mononoke' helped us capture this exact feeling. The early 2000's art style of vast forest and unique muted colours guided the creation of this collection.
Introducing printed T's to our range felt like a fitting way to express this idea and the colours behind it. Joe Lovell, our graphic designer, built the scene in plasticine, then pixelated and textured the sculpture into Photoshop to capture the retro-like finish you see today.
The colours we were drawn to from the film helped direct the execution for the print as well as building the setting for the photoshoot. A vast, colourful forest, inviting you to imagine.
Analogue Garden, Chapter 002. Designed in Boorloo.
Western Landscapes
Denim and wool, combined with the atmosphere of the old west.
During the start of the 2024 Spring/Summer season, I had been putting together a mood board of different fabrics and textiles I wanted Press Play to explore.
I began to research into historical tapestries that are used decoratively today but were once a common fabric weave, used in old western outfits that “Cowboys” and traditional “Farmers” used to wear.
During this time I had collected denim and wool samples that connected to this same idea through the type of weave, weight and western colour palette.
From there, I experimented with a thick houndstooth wool which has a unique colour combination of deep greens, oranges and browns, which reminded me of the rough landscape you often see in old western films, and still to this day in our Australian landscape.
The other was my discovery of Rope Dyed Denim, a technique designed for denim to hold its rich indigo colour through years of wear.
Many silhouettes from the late 1800s West shared this combination, and I wanted to revisit it with this collection.
Introducing our Wrangler Vest in Rust. A houndstooth wool vest, featuring a curved opening, front patch pocket and a cotton lining.
The Rope Dyed Denim jean in Indigo. A heavy, dark and durable jean with golden contrast stitching, deep pockets and a wide leg silhouette, designed to last for years.
Western Landscapes, Chapter 003. Designed in Boorloo.
Denim Series
A Study in Rope-Dyed Denim.
Denim has always been a fundamental part of why I entered the fashion industry.
The way it's woven, dyed, and constructed to create a garment is a remarkable process. The consistency of heavy denim's structure and ability to hold its shape is a value that connects strongly to Press Play's design process and has become the brand's next step towards strengthening our fabric-focused approach.
This capsule aims to elevate our silhouette's proportions and construction through the use of 11oz, rope-dyed denim.
Built from last season's predecessor: The Pleated Jean and Short in 'Graphite Grey' find a balance in both length and width to achieve a considered volume fit. Cut from a washed grey denim, rope-dyed in Japan, the fabric softens with wear while maintaining its shape and depth of tone.
The Paneled Jean in Deep Black shares that consistency through the application of front and back paneled seams to hold the leg's volume and welt seam finishes for durability, completing a range built on our ongoing commitment to construction and fabric quality.
Denim Series, Chapter 004. Designed in Boorloo.
The Uniform
An expansion of our base cloth.
Groundwork's organic cotton is what this collection asks more of. The same base cloth extends into the polo and shorts, not held back for a single statement piece.
Polos had always felt missing from modern wardrobes to me, usually synthetic, stiff in the wrong places, or fitted in a way that never sat right. Our organic cotton gives real shape to pieces I've been refining since Press Play's first release.
This collection returns our polos in six colourways: Stone, Black, Grey, Plum, Sky, and White.
Now in its Mark III, the polos have been refined to a proportioned fit with a more efficient placket opening and French seam finishes.
The Pleated Shorts return in Stone and Black, cut from the same heavy, organic cotton. The weight holds its shape while still draping cleanly, refined over six months of sampling into a staple built for warmer months.
The Uniform, Chapter 005. Designed in Boorloo.