Elegant Impact: Meet Carrie Parry

What do you get when you mix sassiness with sustainability:  a clothing line that features a wonderful twist on the classics by designer Carrie Parry.  Not only are her pieces chic and elegant with a retro feel, they are designed with thoughtful consideration to social and economic impact.  I had the pleasure to ask Carrie a few questions about her design concept and how she made the decision to be socially responsible with her clothing line.

When you first decided to start your own business, did you your concept always include sustainability and social responsibility, or was this an evolution?

Carrie Parry – My work in fashion opened my eyes to the environmental and social impact that the industry can have and I decided that if I wanted to continue working in fashion, I needed to learn more about what I could do to help bring about change. I started taking a graduate course at the University of Delaware in Socially Responsible Apparel Business. I’m still completing it now and it has really been such a great guiding point to social responsibility for me.   When I launched, I was motivated to create a line founded on my passion to create pieces that never go out of style and a commitment to responsible sources and practices so it  is really at the core of my business.  Sustainability is really about improving and building upon social responsibility so it is all of course a process and I hope to keep learning and improving everyday!

Has it been challenging to be a company who sources sustainability?  What is your biggest challenge?

CP – Being a small business and not having the leverage with suppliers and factories can be frustrating at times as it can be harder to implement change and improvement.  Not having the access to as many fabrics can be limiting as well but it is definitely much more rewarding to source environmentally responsible fabrics and fabrics woven by women-owned cooperatives and artisans.

I love the retro feel of your clothing!  What is the main concept design of your apparel?  Where do you draw your inspiration?

CP – I love the idea of customization and  the transformation of clothing. It allows people to grow from being users of clothing to becoming engagers of clothing and gives the clothing the ability to effortlessly transition from day to night and work to play.  Quality and timelessness are really important to me and I try and design pieces that I hope will be treasured in a women’s wardrobe for a lifetime. So when I design, I always try and keep this in mind!

For the SS12 season, I was obsessed with watching 1960s New Wave films.  I fell in love with the whimsy and sophistication of films like Une Femme and Mascualn Feminin by Godard and Alain Resnais. I find daily inspiration in lots of things like film, exhibitions, theatre and people-watching and NYC is the perfect place for it!

What do you enjoy best about what you do?

CP – I love my team-my suppliers-my factory. Learning something new everyday. The daily inspiration and creating something new and special every season.

Thank you so much Carrie for taking the time out to answer my questions!  You can check out her official site at carrieparry.com for more information and where to purchase her line.

(Photos courtesy of Carrie Parry)