Perth label Project P.A. is bringing back ’70s sports nostalgia through handmade accessories
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Olivia Pizzale-Bryce
WORDS BY MAGGIE ZHOU
Accessories, upgraded.
Project P.A.’s pieces are my mother’s dream. No matter the season, she’ll always try shoving some weather-appropriate item into my hands. When it’s sunny, it’s a hat. When it’s cold, it’s a scarf. Lucky for her, those two pieces are what Perth-based label Project P.A. specialise in.
Anyone who gets their hands on one of the label’s patterned tie-on hats or thick woollen scarves should know it’s been designed, cut and sewn by one of the two founders. Anna Kotai and Phoebe D’Arcy-Evans are the two friends behind the three-year-old label.
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“We started making patterns from scratch of shapes we liked to wear and this transpired into a small collection that we shot in Anna’s back garden,” Phoebe says. With a few collections under their belt, it seems the pair have found their calling: slow fashion accessories and wardrobe staples. Read on to learn more about the duo’s design process.
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What are your fashion backgrounds?
We have both completed formal training in fashion and textile design and now both work together in fashion education at North Metropolitan TAFE.
How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.
After working independently on our own fashion design practices, we decided to embark on a joint fashion project in mid-2020. We have [a] long-standing friendship and a shared interest and love for designing and making clothing. We started making patterns from scratch of shapes we liked to wear and this transpired into a small collection that we shot in Anna’s back garden.
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Our process centres around our enjoyment [of] the design process, including concept development, fabric sourcing, garment design and construction. Everything that we produce is designed, cut and sewn by us in our studio (mostly on our weekends!). We have always been conscious of the importance of making considered contributions to the design market. A majority of our work is made to order, using carefully sourced fabrics which are often vintage finds or from our own collections of fabric.
As a result, our work consists of very small runs or one-off pieces. We feel this approach invites customers to build a connection to the making process, whilst enabling us as makers to be thoughtful and sustainable with our practice. As designers, this relationship with our customers motivates us to keep making.
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Where did the name come from?
The name represents our work as a series of projects, with the letters P.A. originating from the first letters of our first names, Phoebe and Anna.
What were you two trying to achieve from the project at the time?
When first started Project P.A., our goal was to make some summer clothes for ourselves that explored the use of particular fabrics and garment sewing techniques. The second project embraced the construction of hats. As we come from one of the windiest cities in the world, we found that people were very interested in hats that could be tied on.
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This led us to focus on a summer hat collection… and subsequently our first open studio on February 2023. We invited people into our making space and presented and sold our collection. Our 2023 winter collection now includes one-off, pure wool scarves knitted on a 1960s knitting machine by Phoebe. These feature a combination of fair isle patterns knitted in Project P.A’s favourite colours. Along with producing one-off pieces, we also take custom orders for scarves as well.
How would you describe your brand to someone who’s never seen it before?
Our work is a joyful combination of patterns that feature many checks along with sport-inspired trims, long-line silhouettes, a dash of ’70s retro and a bit of school uniform [style]. We choose fabrics that are enjoyable to sew and we[‘re] not afraid to throw in something a little bit unexpected.
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For our summer collection, we ventured into digital printing and produced a print inspired by vintage lawn chairs. This was printed with Oeko-Tex-certified inks onto an organic cotton base. Machine knitting has been our latest addition to this eclectic family of shapes and textures.
What are you most proud of in your work on your brand?
Making all our work from start to finish is something we are most proud of. We feel fortunate to work together, and also alongside so many of our friends and family that play a significant part in helping us to bring our vision to life.
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What about the Australia and New Zealand fashion scene needs to change?
We are so excited by people’s growing interest in the process of garment making. We would also love to see small-scale garment manufacturing continue to flourish in Australia and New Zealand.
How can we buy one of your pieces?
We sell our work online. You can purchase ready-made pieces and request made-to-order pieces here. We are also super excited to be hosting our second open studio at the end of July here in Perth, with more details to come soon!
Take a closer look at Project P.A.’s current collection here.
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