Founders Letter

October 31, 2024—shutting the door to a home I built for the past 20 years, I remember that day like a conjugal closing of a chapter defined by what most would call a “dream of a lifetime”. Simultaneously, I was turning the page toward a blank one, not fully understanding why, yet guided only by the levity of my breath with each step forward.

Fast forward to December 15, 2024. I was finishing a short holiday in Thailand—my soul country, actually. So maybe it wasn’t such a coincidence that the embers of a rebirth began there.

Around that time, friends kept asking me the same question: What’s next? “What do you want to do now, Phillip?”

Well, first I wanted to have a cold refreshing beer, and then this urge just blurted out: “I want to PLAY again!”

Somewhere along the way, I realized I had lost the courage to seek play; that curious, creative, joyful part of ourselves— the human part. I think play matters more than we know to admit. When we play, we’re reconnecting to our highest power and nurturing our deepest instincts as humans. Play opens our hearts for appreciation and activates a path forward full of empathy and understanding; therefore, while we honor ourselves in play, we are being of service to others.

At the time, I was wearing a shirt, and every day, I would rotate a new one. It struck me that the ritual of putting on a shirt each morning felt like a reset, a fresh start, and a powerful reminder that today can be something new.

So I thought: maybe we start here, with the shirt.

My instinct has always been simple: make things I desire, do it with purpose, and with people I love.

PlayLoveWin is a simple desire to find my sense of play again. Ceremonially, a fresh shirt means a fresh start. That idea became the foundation of the brand.

Yes, it’s a shirt, and more than that, it’s also a mindset. A way of living. It is a reminder to stay curious, seek play, surround yourself with good-hearted, talented people, love the process, and do your best to make things that matter.

In truth, I wasn’t planning to start another brand, but in hindsight, I’ve known no other way than to always choose and craft my own path. In doing so, one thing remains certain: it has always been guided by an instinctive desire to engage in play, a belief in my imagination, and the inexplicable courage to always seek and be guided by the grace of trail angels along the way.

In the present moment, I can now fully understand the gift of Play, Love, and choosing to Win!