Origin Story: Inner Child
When I was an eighteen-year-old fashion student, I sat in a career prep class surrounded by hyper-focused peers. We were asked for our dream jobs - I think the assignment was to teach us how to work backwards in order to create goals? The other students gave really intense, corporate answers… like designing luxury cars or hotel furniture… When it came to my turn, I simply wrote down my ideal working environment: I want to play.
The reaction in the room was surprisingly hostile. To a room full of aspiring designers, "playing" sounded lazy or perhaps I was not taking my education seriously enough? It took me years of trying to fit myself into corporate design jobs to realize my eighteen-year-old self was actually onto something. I didn't go into fashion to design mass-market basics or to climb some kind of ladder; I did it because I loved the joy, experimentation, and freedom of the creative process.
That experience became the foundation of Pure Play - a fashion design studio born from a long, evolving journey of creative reconciliation. Designing beautiful objects while acknowledging the environmental impact of bringing new things into the world requires deep intentionality. Today, Pure Play operates on a clear philosophy: exceptional design starts with honoring what we already have. Whether creating small-batch product drops, performing traditional alterations, or engineering custom pieces, every project balances creative expression with a minimal resource footprint.
To me, playing isn't about a lack of effort or lack of seriousness - it’s about exploring and testing creative boundaries. It means taking the rigid technical standards I spent years mastering and bending them to find unexpected, sustainable solutions. The most exciting work happens through collaborative partnership - whether by breathing fresh life into forgotten garments, working with client-provided textiles, or responsibly sourcing deadstock, thrifted, and antique materials.
So, whether you need a last-minute hem on a bridesmaid dress, want to build the ultimate Halloween costume, or have a pile of clothes with split seams waiting for repairs, bring them in! Even for those special pieces from a different time in your life that you aren't ready to let go of, we can rethink and reshape them together. Bring your ideas, your closet favorites, and your vision - and let’s play!