Sneak Peek of Parliament the Boutique’s New Collection

Hello Readers,

This past weekend I was able to meet with two of the amazing and talented designers at Parliament the Boutique in downtown Grand Rapids. This shop carries work from many different designers, but I had the pleasure of speaking with two of the co-owners, Elyse and Megan. Elyse, the owner of the LittleWings Designs brand, she curates many of the handbags and leather work within the shop, and Megan, owner of Adventure Textiles, works with fiber arts and natural dyes.She works with a lot of the fabric related work with in the shop. Parliament will be having not only an in-store display during Art.Downtown but they will also have an exhibit at the UICA X-Rite Pantone: Color of the Year event on April 9th.

Megan and Elyse started out as roommates after college, they began each of own their own individual brands during this time but they began to outgrow their space. Jake, another part owner at Parliament and husband to Elyse, also outgrew his creative space. The trio began to conspire ideas and along came the first ever store front location “Parliament”. They all still have their individual brands, but all within Parliament. They expressed that they really wanted to make Parliament it’s own thing. (Store front pictured above)

I was so excited when Elyse responded to my message about setting up an interview with them. It was really amazing to talk to them about their creative process and how they find inspiration for a new piece. Talking to these two, I was able to pick up on their passion for not only the business but the art side. They don’t just make something because they have to, they make each piece with love. Elyse even mentioned being offered a job in New York, where she would be making Dora the Explorer backpacks. She decided against the opportunity, with a little persuasion from Megan, because she realized she would be forced to create one product over and over again. With her own brand she is able to change and create anything she wants. I found this to be important because although a job may seem perfect, be sure it does not damage your worth and creativity.

 

During Art.Downtown, Parliament will be releasing their newest collection and I was able to interview them on this process. I’ll share their responses below.

What are you most excited for with this collection release and Color of the Year event?

For this project Megan and Elyse were able to work collaboratively and that was a new experience for them. They usually are not at the studio at the same time nor are they working closely together on projects. They stated they liked this experience though because it was nice to have the other ones opinion at hand. Artists can be very critical of their own work and having that second opinion to reassure their confidence was helpful. They were able to influence one another to prevent this self-judgement.

It was also exciting for them because they features at the UICA event. Their display will be a fiber instillation of dyed silks with product display in front. Parliament (the store front) will also be having its very own display for the Art.Downtown event to showcase all of their designers. The new collection will display the colors of the year: Rose Quartz and Serenity Blue.

What was difficult about designing these new pieces?

They stated they struggled to constantly achieve the colors of the year since they use natural dyes in many of their pieces. Although, they did mention it was easier for them to achieve these light, airy colors than it is when they work to achieve fall harvest colors. These colors took a lot less dye, whereas the dark fall colors must be dyed multiple times to achieve the desired colors. They mention that the process of dying is a lot of “trial and error”.

Elyse told me that she often works with earthy tones and that made this particular project a little more difficult for her. They also mention Jake struggled to utilize these colors through his pieces, due to the fact that he often utilizes the color black in his work. This is because he works with a company called Victor Ax & Tool, where they collaborate leather designs with customized Ax’s. Therefore, adding pink and blue to this design was difficult.

The creative process for this new collection:

They mention how this collection was a little different than their usual collections because they were given limitations. They usually let their designers work freely and create however they wish, but for this collection they added the limits of using the colors of the year. They were worried their designers would be resistant to the limits, but the turnout was positive. It gave the new collection a path and allowed the pieces to mesh together well.

Once again, they worked hard to achieve the colors of the year within their dyes, which was a long but fun process to work with the new colors. They worked closely with their designers to brainstorm ideas for this collection.

A business model you admire:

imogene + willie

Elyse talked about how this jean company appealed to her because they were creating a unique piece in the market. They were similar to Parliament before they went big with Anthropology. They worked on creating custom fit jeans for men and women. Elyse said this brand admired how they stuck to their designs and business idea.

Others: Billykirk & Makr

 

The future of Parliament:

Both, Elyse and Megan have been invited to the Renegade Craft Fair, which is a huge expo within their industry. They are hoping this large event will give them some exposure to a new audience to further grow their brand. They are also prepping for a summer tour, where they will travel the country and do multiple pop-up shows. Plus, they are looking at creating a catalog, in which their customers can purchase if they are unable to purchase one of their pieces. This will also help them appeal to more artists and designers, connect with more customers and create a memorable piece for their brand. Creating a catalog will give people a piece of Parliament they can carry with them.

Elyse stated she wanted to work on creating more high-end looking handbags in a later collection. She has noticed her audience demands her bags that resemble this style. Jake also takes custom designs, which creates many more customers because they are able to get a seriously unique piece. Megan works with a loom as well, her designs are extremely unique because of the natural dyes she is using.

Lastly, Parliament is in-search of hiring some interns to work closely with them and learn how the business works. This is a new addition since most of the business has been run by the designers. You can check out all of Parliaments upcoming events and projects by adding them on Facebook or Instagram. (Links below)

A final note from me:

My interview with these designers was amazing, I was so humbled by the opportunity and I cannot wait to return to their shop. I also loved the company of shop cat Amadeus. They are so genuine in their work and their lives. They work hard on breaking the mold of the industry and creating a really unique brand. Their pieces are so unique and they are a refreshing brand in the market. I am excited to see their new collection, as well as their display at UICA Color of the Year.

Parliament on Facebook | Parliament on Instagram | Color of the Year Event

Website: Parliament the Boutique

This is only a sneak peek of what’s in store from Parliament, be sure to check it out yourself next Saturday at Art.Downtown in Grand Rapids, Mich..

Thank you all for reading this interview/ sneak peek. Don’t forget to check out some of their work and share this article. Let me know your thoughts on this new kind of post in the comments. We are slowly growing, so subscribe now and don’t miss any of the action. Thank you again for reading and sharing.

Happy Friday.

xo,

Lyss