Playa Society WNBA All-Star Capsule Collection

Alexis Shoats

Founder Esther Wallace proclaims that Playa Society is "The Best Women's Sports Merch in the Game", and she might be right about that. Esther is a former basketball player, that has always had a love for fashion design since she was a kid. Upon retiring she focused on creating a brand that captured the sport she knew and loved from a community view. One of the main ways she has put a spin on the brand's athletic merch is by hand-drawing the designs. If you aren't familiar with design, that's not the easiest thing to do especially for clothes, and in my opinion, this justifies the price as well. Oftentimes, we forget that we're also paying for the talent of a designer, and these designs are worth every penny.

Esther's unique design aesthetics combine caricature drawing with graffiti and a 90s type of vibe to top it off. This is fitting, considering the league was established officially in 1996. In an interview with Ion, she states, "I took a look at all the ways people were getting it wrong, and why not try doing it the right way? A way that celebrates and highlights the women who actually play, and their fans who actually care about the sport and the players." You can see this concept really shine in pieces such as the classic "We Told You So" Collection, which says "If you are just now tuning in to Women's Basketball we told you so."

(From Playa Society's website)

In honor of the 20th anniversary All-Star Game, her most recent collaboration is the Playa Society x WNBA All-Star Capsule Collection. The collection consists of one hoodie, a crop top, and a t-shirt. The hoodie comes in white while the crop top and regular t-shirt have two options in white or black. The designs consist of the WNBA logo, fun hand-drawn cacti, and writing related to the event in the brand's signature font. Visit playasociety.com to check out more designs, or like me to place an order!

(From Playa Society's website)