In the 1980s, when Mont-real had barely emerged from the disco tsunami, two fashion designers who made their home in the city took off with the Parachute brand.
First inspired by military and new wave styles, then by Japanese culture, sportsmanship and androgynous allure, the couple formed by clothing designer Nicola Pelly and architect Harry Parnass founded the Parachute brand, which created fashion rather than following it.
For more than ten years, this brand will have a lasting influence around the world as it takes inspiration from street clothes and has them worn by the elite, including Madonna, Peter Gabriel and David Bowie.
This is the phenomenon that the exhibition focuses on Parachute: subversive mode of the 80s, presented at the McCord Museum. Through some sixty of the brand’s creations, we immerse ourselves in the movement of the Limelight fashion shows or in the series of shops that Parachute had created to display its merchandise. These boutiques offered both a collection with rebellious accents and a decor inspired by industrial zones.
“Andy Warhol really liked the brand. And he often came to sit at the New York store and watch the time go by, ”recalls Nicola Pelly, who took part in a press tour of the exhibition yesterday.
Of British origin, Nicola Pelly met Harry Parnass while they both worked for the Quebec company Le Château. “But maybe the clothes they created were too avant-garde for the Château’s clientele. So they left the company in 1977 to found Parachute, ”says Alexis Walker, Assistant Curator Costume, Fashion and Textiles at the McCord Museum.
Following in the footsteps of new wave fashion, the duo is first of all inspired by the futuristic universe. The museum will also present the film to the public Montreal New Wave, by Éric Cimon, who looks back in detail on this period. “This puts the socio-economic condition of Montreal in context at the time,” continues Alexis Walker.
Andy Warhol was very fond of the brand. And he often came to sit at the New York store and watch the time go by.
Focusing on the creative autonomy of the individual, Parachute offers pieces to enhance oneself. “We saw in our clientele the heroes and heroines of modern times, autonomous and in control beings, fighting against conformism. […] », Says Nicola Pelly.
While the new wave is gradually taken over by different industries, Pelly and Parnass evolve towards a more monochromatic universe. “But the design process was always linked to observations of what young people wore[ai]in the streets around the world, ”adds Alexis Walker.
It is the emergence of streetwear, whose ideology continues to influence fashion today. “We could combine several elements of fashion into one outfit, and we wanted the person wearing it to interpret it in turn,” says Nicola Pelly. In 1985, Parachute dressed some 20 of the world’s most famous rock stars at Live Aid concerts in London and Philadelphia. It is the consecration.
Popular in Japan
Parachute clothing were particularly popular in Japan, where the couple drew many influences in particular. “We were very inspired by our travels,” recalls Nicola Pelly.
The name Parachute was chosen by the couple in particular because it was a similar term in French and English.
Work on the exhibition Parachute: subversive fashion of the 80s started in 2019. In addition, several interviews were possible with Harry Parnass, who recently passed away.
In 1993, the Parachute company closed its doors. And since then, Nicola Pelly, who still lives in Montreal, has donated her archives to the museum.
The exhibition will be accompanied by several events on themes affecting fashion and clothing, ranging from cultural appropriation to the social and artistic impacts of streetwear.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the McCord Museum, access is free until January 19, 2022.