PAREL STUDIOS: DEVELOPMENT_04
What’s timeless fashion nowadays? If suits, proper leather dress shoes were once the wisest investments on a cost-per-wear basis, that is not the case anymore. There is been a shift in the way people dress, and these days the just mentioned garms are only worn every now and then, at a mate’s wedding or something. With most people commuting by walking to the tube or bus, or by riding a bike to work, our day-to-day city lives demand more from our clothes than looking sharp. Of course, one must be proud, and look well put together… but can our go-to uniform be functional, too? Well, Michael Lennheden’s on it.
With Parel Studios, Michael’s redefining what modern apparel should look like, and how it should function. Sharply designed and developed to face the outside world and its thrills, the pieces he makes are made to stand the test of time for a fair few passing trends and outdoor adventures alike.
We caught up with him to find out more about Parel and the brand’s direction.
Tell us more about your background as a designer, and when and how did you start working on Parel Studios?
As long as I can remember, I’ve always aspired to make something creatively through design work. As a kid I was fascinated by fast sports cars and I could spend hours and hours sketching them. After graduating from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen in 2016, where I studied industrial design, I got headhunted by a renowned sneaker brand in Amsterdam as the head of their footwear design department. Since then I have been developing a multitude of shoe collections. It’s only a couple years ago that I decided to start my own clothing and accessories brand on the side, Parel Studios. And what started out as a part-time project of sketching ideas and styles has now morphed into a fully formed range of garments.
How did you arrive at the name Parel?
It’s pretty simple, actually. Parel comes from the word apparel. In my opinion the best brand names are short, straightforward and easy to remember. And of course, it had to look good once printed. I am really happy about the name and logo and people seem to like it too. The response I often get is something like, “I feel like I’ve seen this before, but I can’t tell where.” Which I think is brilliant.
Who are the garments you’re making for?
We don’t target a specific segment, but end up attracting all kinds of people who appreciate garments that are somewhere between practical outdoor gear, workwear essentials, and premium basics with sporty references. We care a lot about making sure our items offer comfort and confidence in people's daily routines by creating practical fits with an all-day usability.
How does being a footwear designer inform the label’s garment designs?
As I mentioned, I have always been much inspired by car design — I think it is the ultimate form of product design! I’m also inspired by architectural design when it comes to garment design. Good architecture has to be practical, and solve solutions for the user in an elegant and smart way without screaming too loud so that it can fit into its surroundings. It has to be timeless. But to answer your question, I’d say my experience as a footwear designer has given me an understanding of the balance between function and aesthetics, which is something I subconsciously use in the process of designing garments.
How different is it for you to design garments?
By being a footwear designer for an international brand with a big following, I have to cater to the customers of the brand as well as follow and develop the brand’s identity. But with Parel, I have the privilege to be able to start from scratch and create my own DNA. Building footwear collections for many years has definitely given me the tools to understand how to design when it comes to shapes, materials, colours and trims. But in the end it is my own personal taste for minimalistic and sporty design that defines the garments of the brand.
What are your favourite elements from the clothes you’ve been making? How do you strike a balance between functionality and aesthetics design-wise?
Our products need to be naturally suited to people’s needs. When designing garments we wonder what kinds of items we are missing in our own wardrobe, or which everyday items could be refined with a few tweaks. The Narva pants, for one thing, are like a cross between classic dress pants and hiking trousers. Even though making the perfect design is a task one is never really completely done with, I think it is worthwhile to keep designing if you succeed to make products a little bit better with a few improvements at a time.
What’s your aim with Parel? How is the label tackling throw-away culture?
By creating modern and refined clothing with a sporty touch and a non-niche approach, we hope that our items can last a bit longer in the wardrobes of our customers. It's really about designing quality everyday wear with function and practicality in mind and trying not to jump too quick on every new trend.
Tell us more about SS22. Did you rework core pieces of the brand, or make new ones?
Well, instead of creating a full collection of new items, we have been working on the detailing of some of our core pieces and refined them with a few adjustments. As said, the main goal with Parel is to perfect every piece of apparel in a modern, timeless one, and, occasionally, to introduce new seasonal variants or colour options. Still, there are some new items, such as the Atlas vest, which is a four-way stretch sports vest with a mesh cut-out on the back and reflective details. We have also tweaked the Onega hooded jacket in some new interesting variants and introduced for the first time the reversible Tetra jacket, which is a great all-season reversible jacket with a light padding.
Is there something that really inspires you when making a new collection, and what can we expect from the forthcoming ones?
I get inspired and feel productive when I find myself in nature or other peaceful surroundings. My creativity flows and I often experience gratitude when I am confronted with the beauty of Mother Earth in terms of shapes and colours. The next collection is already underway and without revealing too much, I can say we are working with some quite interesting new techniques as well as introducing totally new product categories that will be a new step for Parel!
