After founding two transformative fashion labels, Mecca and Enyce, respectively, Evan Davis and Tony Shellman are now launching a bold new retail imprature: Parish. Joining this endeavor are longtime collaborators, Pericles Papayannis, Chaka Wilson and Ashod Spendjian, all former executives of Enyce clothing. They have set out to harvest the next generation of talent by collaborating with a team of young, gifted designers and artists. THE EVIL COLLECTOR recently sat down with one of them Valeria Carrasco.

TEC :What does the name Parish stand for?

VC: The community. The land and the people. Just people working together for a common goal.

TEC: Why do you think that so many people gravitate to the line?

VC: They are probably tired of the same gear out there- it all looks the same. Is our vision unique? Maybe not, but our interpretation is. I mean if we’re bored of the clothes, the people buying them definitely will be also.

TEC: If you could pick a celebrity to design a whole line around who would it be and why?

VC: Probably Miles Davis. He was one “sharp mutherfucka” to quote the man. Max Roach

TEC: Who do you think is your biggest competitor in the fashion world?

VC: No one. We aren’t here to compete. If we all get rich its a good thing

TEC: How are you preparing for The magic Trade Show?

VC: The designers aren’t going to magic.Our company is spearheaded by veterans in the buisness who fortunately already have relationships with buyers and media; they’ll probably just get a suite and take private appointments or throw some dope party to welcome people to see the new collection.

TEC: This industry is becoming very saturated with many different labels. So how do you feel that you are apart from them?

VC: Doesn’t matter if we are doing the same item. We just trust in our creativity and individuality. I’m not worried about what other people do. Every person has a unique opinion about what should be put into the marketplace, so even if its the same plaid shirt, it’ll be something different about it. It’s up to the consumer to decide what’s right for them.

TEC: How did the whole design team come together and what are you all’s name?

VC: Some of us know each other from way back. We’re a good mix of industry vets and newcomers. Pericles Papayannis- VP of Design and Co-Founder of Parish Nation, Jose Mertz- Designer, Courtney Walker-Designer, Spencer Chan- Designer.

TEC: Did you all design for any other lines before Parish? If so why did you choose to come to this collection?

VC: We’ve come from Enyce, Phat Farm, all walks of life, but we’d prefer to focus on PARISH.

TEC: Who is your target consumer? describe a Parish guy.

VC: Between 3 ft. tall and 8 ft. tall. Makes between $1 and$1,000,000 per hour. Has a dark, light complexion. Likes to wear his hair long and sometimes short. Prefers to wear sneakers, boots, sandals and sometimes barefoot if he’s at the beach. Drives a car but sometimes likes to walk, take public transportation, bike or skate. Hope this helps.

TEC: Where can people find the real clothes?

VC: We’re sold at Michael K’s, Up Against the Wall, and better Speciality Boutique stores throughout the country.

TEC: A lot of the designs are centered around the 80’s theme what makes that era so hot that you design a concept around it?

VC: Because a lot of us were born in the late 60’s and early 70’s. That was around the birth of hip hop, us, being the hip hop generation. We grew up with all that 80’s revival shit firsthand. So for us, its more nostalgic than new. We look back at the 80’s with fond memories. So designing a concept around that is pretty recalling our favorite things from that decade.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 31st, 2007 at 2:20 pm and is filed under Products, Men, Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.