October 17th 2013

Photos: Frankie de Guzman

As soon as Frankie and I saw that Chicago Playground was showing this week, we both had a minor freak out. Okay…maybe it wasn’t so minor.

The show lived up to all the hype we had created around it. Rodnell, creative director for Chicago Playground, served up old school sports inspired pieces mixed with classic prep. We were lucky enough to pick his brain a little bit after the show.

StreetStyleChi: We love your sporty look. What’s the inspiration behind the varsity jackets and your latest collection?

Rodnell: Oh the sportswear…I just wanted to bring back the traditional style of the varsity jacket and what they represented. So when it came down to sitting down and designing it, I really wanted to bring that aspect into it.

StreetStyleChi: We definitely see that! Are you originally from Chicago?

Rodnell: Born and raised! Chicago has different values, and it’s legendary. I think the traditional varsity jacket and Chicago…there’s nothing better.

StreetStyleChi: Totally agree. What can we expect from Chicago Playground in the future?

Rodnell: You will continue to see a collegiate theme to our collections in the traditional form. We are breaking it down by “semester.” So we’re actually debuting our first Semester on the 24th, which will be our first full collection.

Cop your own piece of Chicago Playground on the website