WOAT is the Melbourne-based label combining sports and streetwear
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Sian Stockdale
WORDS BY DAISY HENRY
“I think fashion is a great way for people to express themselves and I hope WOAT helps to make people feel like they can.”
Melbourne designer Jasper Frank’s label first started off as a university assignment. It was as an in-joke with friends – the antithesis of the age-old saying, Greatest of All Time (GOAT). “We’d joke that for every GOAT there must be a Worst of All Time (WOAT),” Jasper says. Although it began as a mock concept, he took the name WOAT and ran with it.
Flash forward a few years later and Jasper has continued to channel his love for design and upcycling into WOAT. The label has evolved from its early days and its fusion of sports and streetwear makes it a natural fit for stores like Sucker, where it’s previously been stocked.
Looking for more fashion news and features? Head to our Fashion section.
“Participating in sport is a form of self-expression in many ways, so I’ve always loved seeing people express themselves on the pitch and then off the pitch from a fashion point of view,” he explains. Below, Jasper shares more about where he finds his inspiration, what it’s like running a fashion label and his favourite local designers.
Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?
I’ve always been interested in fashion since a young age, trying to make clothes myself when I was a teenager (mainly screen printed T-shirts of my fave bands and stitching patterned fabric designs on old T-shirts and jeans). I would always be borrowing clothes from my family too, I’m sure they’d say I’ve always taken a long time to get ready.
View this post on Instagram
I’ve played a lot of sports growing up and have always been drawn to the crossover between sportswear, streetwear and high-end fashion. Participating in sport is a form of self-expression in many ways, so I’ve always loved seeing people express themselves on the pitch and then off the pitch from a fashion point of view. I have a graphic design background, studying visual communication and then was lucky enough to cross paths with Anthony Puliatti who runs R.Sport and have been designing for R.Sport and WOAT for the last three to four years.
How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.
WOAT began as a uni assignment in 2019/20. It was a term my friends and I were using at the time as a bit of a jive at the phrase, ‘Greatest of All Time’ (GOAT). We’d joke that for every GOAT there must be a WOAT. Part of the assignment I was working on at the time involved creating a brand identity. I ran with the name WOAT as a bit of a mock brand concept.
View this post on Instagram
During this time I was designing and creating tote bags made from upcycled soft plastics heat welded and stitched together, mainly gifting them to friends and family. And I’ve just run with the name ever since, even now, having evolved into streetwear. I’ve always looked at WOAT as an avenue for me to express myself creatively and play around with styles I like, as well as talking about issues that are important to me through the brand. For now, it’s centred around clothing, but I plan to stay fluid and let it evolve into whatever I’m drawn to at the time/in the future.
The challenges I’ve found since formally registering WOAT as a business are mainly just running it solo and trying to do things more locally and sustainably. I like to spend most of my time being creative, so finding that balance has been a learning curve with all the backend tasks and responsibilities of being a sole trader. Being relatively new to the game I’ve had to learn on the go a fair bit, but feel lucky to be surrounded by many friends doing great things who’ve helped guide me, as well as heaps of local Naarm labels I look up to a lot.
What were you trying to achieve from the project at the time? How has this evolved and what are you trying to communicate through the brand now?
View this post on Instagram
WOAT for me has always been an avenue for my own creative freedom and expression, a way to collaborate with like-minded brands/creatives/people, talking about important social issues and being a brand people can align with based on those things. I’m constantly inspired by the fashion I see these days, all over the world and especially in Naarm.
I love seeing people express themselves and mixing styles. We all have flair and creative expression – I just want everyone to feel comfortable in their own skin and be who they are, without judgment. I think fashion is a great way for people to express themselves and I hope WOAT helps to make people feel like they can.
How would you describe your label to someone who’s never seen it before?
Sportswear/streetwear crossover brand.
View this post on Instagram
What are you most proud of in your work on your label?
I love getting the opportunity to collaborate with people and being part of a community here in Naarm that has always felt very inclusive for me. Working with friends who are at similar early stages in their creative careers (photographers, hair and makeup artists, models, producers, videographers, and artists) gives me heaps of joy and is something I’m always proud of at the end of a shoot or campaign.
Designing the clothing is just one small part, bringing others in to style it and put their spin on it for a shoot always leaves me feeling like the product is enhanced and has a life of its own. It’s also super nice to see your designs out in the wild, worn and styled in so many different ways. It’s been extremely humbling to be approached by different stylists, photographers and musicians who want to feature my designs in their shoots and performances.
What do you wish you knew when you started?
How important the marketing side of things is and how planned you need to be when putting together collections. It’s a huge hustle doing things as a sole trader, so it’s always good to have some friendly advice to help get you through the stressful moments. How creative you need to get sometimes to bring certain costs down, being brave and prepared to try things and learn on the go. And to also just try not to get too stressed, it usually works out in the end.
View this post on Instagram
Who do you think is most exciting in AU/NZ fashion right now?
My current fave designers/labels are Karlaidlaw, Die Horny, Candice For You, Briar Will, Krool, R.Sport, IntoCarry and Homie, Sucker, BRB and Error404.
What about the Australian fashion industry needs to change?
Still being new to it all I’m not totally sure. I do think it’s still way too difficult for smaller designers and labels to do well and compete (or even make ends meet a lot of the time) when so many fast fashion brands create similar products and have so much more budget for marketing. It kinda sucks that you more or less have to commit to the ‘rat race’ and become a Meta and Google pawn to get eyeballs on your pages and products.
Dream Australian collaborators?
Die Horny and Bullant.
Go-to dinner party playlist?
Waxo Paradiso b2b Bradley Zero live from Abbotsford Convent (Jan 13, 2024).
View this post on Instagram
Who is in your wardrobe right now?
A fair bit of Die Horny and R.Sport. Mainly second-hand clothes. My fave vintage shop atm is Zinc on Sydney Road – I always walk out of there with something fresh.
How can we buy one of your pieces?
Via my website worstofalltime.store or Instagram. Also at the Object Merchant market in early November, I’ll be having a store.
Explore WOAT’s range here.
Liked this? You’ll love these...
