Designer Gregory Parkinson on Success, Anna Wintour and Why He Loves The Women Who Love Him

By Dana Linett-Silber
April 5, 2011

Fashion designer Gregory Parkinson is at the top of his game. His ready to wear collection is carried at Barneys; his Facebook profile picture shows him standing with the Editor of Vogue, Anna Wintour after being nominated for the 2010 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award; and First Lady Michelle Obama—the woman every top fashion designer wants to dress—wore one of Gregory Parkinson's designs earlier this year.

The Inside Source: You've been in the fashion business for 17 years now. How did being nominated for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award change things?

Gregory Parkinson: Fashion Fund is really an amazing thing and I feel I benefitted more than most anyone else because I already have a business and it shook things up and forced me to shuffle my game! And knowing that Anna’s looking and watching really forces you to do the best that you can do.

The Inside Source: How did the nomination affect your fashion designs? Barack & Michelle Obama

Gregory Parkinson: Working to produce clothing for editors is very different from doing it f or stores—completely separate entities. Editors are about telling a story and making a strong image and the reality of retail is a different thing; it’s about what people really need. A fabulous evening gown is great, but if you don’t really need one, you don’t really need one—end of story. My customers have full, interesting lives, so they want things that are practical and relevant.

But for the Fashion Fund, I was working on pieces that were first and foremost editorial. As a designer, all you want to do is practice your craft and work in different, interesting ways. Once you’re established, it’s hard for your audience to accept different things, but to have the opportunity to break out of that is fantastic! (Barack & Michelle Obama in Hawaii, photo credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

The Inside Source: Over the course of your fashion design career, what have been some of the really pivotal moments where you knew you were on to something big?

Gregory Parkinson: Barneys is big—it’s my most visible account. We always ship to them for Fashion Week because when the fashion world comes to town, everybody shops Barneys, so it’s still a very high standard for what is fashion.

Little things encourage you, but then again, we work very hard; it’s very labor intensive to create handmade clothes. . . People are very informed, with a great awareness of what’s going on, so you constantly have to work to keep people’s attention. (Gregory Parkinson with Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, from Parkinson's Facebook page)

The Fashion Fund, of course, was a great validation. I know a lot of women who buy my clothing and they felt they were part of my success, which was very true. It’s not just a job; it’s my life, and if I feel like if I can keep going forward, that’s my definition of success... I’ve been very lucky that I have very supportive customers who really know me.

The Inside Source: How do you get to know the women who wear your clothing designs?

Gregory Parkinson: I really go to the stores and spend a lot of time with my customers! [Legendary retailer] Linda Dresner has really been a friend and given me so much advice and support. Barneys is more about a high standard of retail, but Linda has incredible customers who travel and have homes everywhere and amazing lifestyles and they’re very cultured. When I meet these women, they really inspire me! Interesting women love my clothing and I love being a part of their lives.

Gregory Parkinson fall 2011 collection

The Inside Source: You come from the north of England and you set out to become a successful fashion designer. Why did you settle in Los Angeles rather than New York?

Gregory Parkinson: L.A. is a big manufacturing city and New York is a city where you need to be either rich or well-connected, and I was neither! For what I do, there are so many resources here in L.A., and I love the weather and lifestyle, of course. I have a nice, big work space and I feel I paid my dues here. Oh, and then there’s the spending power of Hollywood!

The Inside Source: Your spring 2011 collection is very soft, very rich but still very relaxed and “undone”. Where do you envision women wearing your fashion designs?

Gregory Parkinson: I started to sell to a little boutique in Hawaii called Seaside Luxe. They carried a collection of my tie dye pieces and everyone went crazy for it! It sold really well and this was before the whole economic collapse and that’s when I realized people wanted to wear prints and colors and things they wouldn’t necessarily wear at home, so I took everything in that direction. Also, because of climate change, people are dressing more layered, and resort clothing has to be made to easily add and remove the layers. So these clothes can be worn everywhere.

Gregory Parkinson spring 2011 collection

The Inside Source: I love the way you use such a bold mix of colors and prints in your fashion line, but the effect is very muted and soft.

Gregory Parkinson: Putting together colors and prints is how I paid my rent for 20 years! I always feel I have to do it in a way that is one step ahead of everyone else. I want the look to be harmonious because everyone looks best when they feel comfortable and relaxed.

The Inside Source: What are some of the things that inspire your clothing designs?

Gregory Parkinson: I think you have to be aware of your spiritual needs. To me, what you wear is connected to that. . . Everyone has to work hard to be inspired, and you want to feel as if there is hope and optimism and beauty out there, so I always look for paintings, ceramics, rugs that inspire me. I also think traveling is very important, exposing yourself to different cultures, new ideas, alternative ways of living.