Melbourne Victory youngster Paige Zois stands in front of Kayla Morrison’s wardrobe, bemused by the contents inside.
“What goes through your head when you see these things?” Zois asks Morrison, her Victory teammate and captain, as she picks out a pair of denim shorts.
“I know,” Morrison replies. “I think wow, that’s something my dad would have worn in the ’80’s… I can totally wear that!”
Morrison describes it as a “passion for fashion”: her tendency to “see something so ugly, and it’s like a challenge. Can I make that work? Can I put that really weird piece of clothing on and make a really cute outfit out of it?”
Zois describes it as “Full Kayla mode.”
“She picks the weirdest stuff ever, and she puts it on and it looks normal.”
It’s one of the key aspects of Morrison’s life away from the football pitch which is uncovered throughout Episode 08 of A-Leagues All Access: As You Are.
The episode details Morrison’s arduous road back from an ACL tear suffered in December last year, and the agony of watching the side she captains become Liberty A-League champions in her absence.
But in the midst of the rehab and recovery comes a glimpse into Morrison’s eclectic and unique style, and the confidence to express herself in out of the box outfits.
WATCH: A-LEAGUES ALL ACCESS, EPISODE 08: AS YOU ARE
The episode follows Morrison and Zois to Ultra Football, Melbourne, for a photoshoot in which Morrison relishes the brief of “wearing something that describes you as a person… to see you as you are.
“I think that’s kind of fun to show the fans or show anyone scrolling by on Instagram that you’re more than just a soccer player wearing sweats all the time,” she says.
Morrison arrives in a two-piece green suit, with Zois helping to carry two extra outfits into Ultra Football for the photoshoot.
“I brought three outfits, but they’re all pretty OTT (over the top),” says Morrison to photographer Aleksandar Jason.
But in reality, each different look provides a unique glimpse into who Morrison is as a person.
The Victory defender hopes her expression of self through style helps to break down stigmas attached to female athletes, and what’s expected of them in settings outside of the sport in which they play.
“There’s a stigma for female athletes that they need to wear something that the men’s teams wives are wearing,” Morrison says.
“We do have muscles, and it’s not something to be ashamed of. It’s something we should accentuate.”