in process

I had a lovely afternoon with Jeana Sohn over at Gregory Parkinson‘s studio the other day. I’ve been a fan of his collection for years and was beyond thrilled to spend a bit of time in the thick of it with him. Garment dyed silks? Check. Custom designed floral prints mixed with ikat and overdyed metallic threads? Check.  You get the picture – heavenly…

Gregory has 16 years under his design belt and his lovely creations have been found at Barneys for years,  but his star is shining extra bright right now due to his nomination for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award this year. Congrats are in order for that process he undertook, and I’m thrilled he has all of the extra eyes on him that he absolutely deserves!

Gregory’s first passion is fabrics – with a love for bold prints and vibrating colors.  He’s also a master at combining unexpected prints and materials – whether it be by garment dying his dreamy pieces or adding a contrast print piping for a kaleidoscopic effect. Gregory manages to merge craft with sophisticated editing and color to bring out the worldly boheme in all of us. A couple of shots from his Fall 2010 collection below…

Inspiration can start from anywhere – fabrics, someone on the street, a painting. Where do you find your inspiration?

I don’t just think that I need to be inspired 3 times a year. I think when you have a small business, a creative business, you have to work really hard at staying focused so you can do what you do.  You eliminate certain things so you go out of your way to stay motivated and optimistic.   I think this is a lifestyle choice, and culture is the most important thing. I love history,  but it is the arts and music and imagery from different persons that define my idea of history. I work hard to surround myself with what I deem to be beautiful or interesting.  The way I travel, the things I read, what I eat and my friends are all components of my inspiration.  In the literal sense of the word, it is simply the fabric, the raw materials I work with, that inspire me to make what I make.

It seems that the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund nomination came at a pivotal point in your career, as you have been steadily turning out extraordinarily beautiful garments for over a decade. Why, as you put it, this ‘second chance to make a first impression’ now?

It’s great to have an existing body of work that people can refer to, it’s also great to have a history and that people know where you started. It makes it easier for people to be overly enthusiastic in their support of my fashion fund status. Every one sees everything nowadays and it can be too much, you can become blind to the things around you. Being a finalist grabbed everyone’s attention.  It seems so much more meaningful to a lot of people because they know I have worked hard for a long time.  It’s also a good time for the small guy to be as interesting as a big brand.

You made some to die for bags – I honestly cannot stop thinking about them. Your design sensibility could easily lend itself to many other things – is there a dream collection or item that you have not yet designed?

I have always wanted to make bags.   I always have been making different types of bags over the years. It’s such  a competitive arena, and incredibly brand conscious.  All the real estate is dominated by the mega brands.  It’s so exciting to have Barneys New York buyers respond so favorably to these beach bags, where they will be carried exclusively. So much of the time our limitations are purely financial, I just received a great commission to make “amazing patchwork drapes” so I guess this is the start of my home furnishings business. I would love to design and produce things I love.  Some men’s clothes, bags, almost classic shoes, rugs, carpets.  I would love to collaborate on  ( I want my job to be sociable you know) paints, furniture, ceramics , I love curtains, and towels.  I think living with beautiful color is a luxury, one that can be accessible to many.

Each step of the way – from design conception to shipping your line has it’s ups and downs I bet. Is there a certain part of the process that you love more than the other?

I love the starting point, putting together color and print stories, crafting a collection, creating some idea of a theme, the few weeks just before showing when you are pulling it all together is very exciting.

Garment dyeing and prints are an important part of your work. Is this where your design process starts?

Dyeing and printing are always part of the process. Depending on which fabrics I am using, their importance or relevance to the collection is adjusted accordingly, it’s part of my signature, It’s always there.

Do you have a dream girl that you’d love to see in your collection?

I love that my customers are very varied.  I would never want to limit myself or make my customers feel inadequate about themselves by saying what my ideal customer is. I would like to dress a woman who says ” But Gregory, I never wear print or color”.

Being a business owner, designer, creative director and more deserves some applause. Have any secret tips to dealing with the challenges?

Your support system, the people you have around you, I choose who I work with, knowing what time to isolate and just work. Healthy diet + early bed = healthy mind and body

Do you have a favorite city? What do you love about it?

I love many cities!  What I love about a city is: Pedestrian, great cafes, public transport, great food markets, history, elegance, good looking people, good art galleries and book shops, multi racial and multi cultural.

What 3 words describe the Gregory Parkinson girl/woman? Optimistic, interesting, original

Thank you Gregory for a lovely afternoon and letting us see your work in process. Thank you Jeana for the great pics!