With His New Shirts-Only Collection, Phillip Lim Wants to PlayLoveWin
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is The Run-Through. I'm Nicole Phelps. I'm here in the studio with designer Philip Lim, who for 20 years ran his namesake brand, 3-1 Philip Lim, and whose new project, Play Love Win, launches the same day this episode airs. Philip, welcome to the show.
Thank you, Nicole. It's such a pleasure to be here with you.
In July, you announced Play Love Win on Instagram.
What is PlayLoveWin and why did Phillip Lim create a shirts‑only brand?
Tell us what the project is.
It is my third chapter in life. From a practical level, it is a singular destination for all your shirting needs that meets your most inspired moments. And from a spiritual level, it's a way to live.
Why shirts?
How does Phillip Lim define the purpose of a shirt and its “reset” power?
Shirts to me... represent that unsung hero that when you put on a fresh shirt, it instantly resets your mind. And I'm in a space where I think that to get back to my purpose, it is important to reset that. Well, I took a break, a short break. I realized what the shirt did for me. Every single day I would put on a different shirt and it would set my mood. And it came back to just this idea of like, why don't I just work on something that I wear every day, do something for myself, really go at it in a way where you just obsess over it. It's almost like exercising something to the point where Okay, you know, let's hero that unsung hero.
Well, let's get this out of the way first. As I said, you ran your own label for 20 years, but you walked away at the end of 2024. Why did you do that?
Oh, we're going to go there, huh? I was not honoring myself anymore. I lost my sense of play. I was in a place where I was managing more than I was creating. And I realized that's not what I am good at and not what I want to do. It wasn't an easy decision.
Why did Phillip Lim decide to leave 3.1 Phillip Lim after two decades?
It was almost 10 years in the making because, you know, life is not black and white. And, you know, building 31 Philip Lim to the point that it was, it was, it was complicated. It was very involved in, you know, so many things you have to consider. And, you know, there's a sense of responsibility. But ultimately, I wasn't of the right service anymore.
Well, I have to say I admire someone who can identify what isn't going right in their life and pivot. And the way you put it a couple of weeks ago when we were chatting was so great. You said that eventually everyone has to walk away from the buffet.
Yeah.
So, you have walked away from the buffet, and you are focusing very singularly on shirts. It happens to be a really good moment
for shirts, right? You had
Mathieu Blazy at his Chanel debut, partner with Charvet, and Chanel subsequently bought Charvet, the shirt maker, the Parisian shirt maker. So... Do you think of this as kismet, that it's a good moment?
It's definitely kismet. It is definitely kismet. When I saw that news, when I saw the shirts on the Chanel runway, I was like, oh, wow. This is either going to signal, oh, he's following suit, or... it's a zeitgeist. The antennas are up and it signaled the fact that I was able to bring myself back to a place where my antennas were dusted off and I could feel what was percolating um this category and when i was looking back at the dates of just like thinking about uh and and bringing the project together it predated that show and it was definitely kismet and um you know i think that anna i'm in this room and i i just can't stop thinking about her because she she gave me the the best advice ever everything is about timing
When you're too early, nothing's open. When you're too late, everything's closed. So it comes back to timing, luck, self-possession, and really being excited about making shirts really well.
Well, I presume you're wearing a Play, Love, Win shirt.
Yes, I am.
What makes a shirt a Play, Love, Win shirt?
It is about the intentions. When I think about how I work, how I design, I always observe people. I observe their gestures, how they move into the world, the way they roll up the cuffs, what they place in their pockets. And I work around that because that's my job as a designer, to be of service, to make things better. And for example, this simple, not so simple, Oxford called The Billy. Billy's my brother, is cut in this beautiful high twist Japanese oxford that gives a certain structure because I think traditionally the oxford is to wear throughout the day.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:05–0:29
2
What is PlayLoveWin and why did Phillip Lim create a shirts‑only brand?
0:29–0:54
3
How does Phillip Lim define the purpose of a shirt and its “reset” power?
0:54–2:25
4
Why did Phillip Lim decide to leave 3.1 Phillip Lim after two decades?
2:25–6:31
5
What design details (fabric, placket, buttons) make a PlayLoveWin shirt unique?
6:31–10:31
6
How is PlayLoveWin’s business model different from traditional luxury fashion?
10:31–15:03
7
How does Phillip Lim view progress and representation for designers of color in fashion?
15:03–15:46
8
What consumer problems is PlayLoveWin trying to solve with its education‑focused website?
15:46–38:14
Speakers
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