The Parachute fashion brand sprang to life in Montreal in the late 1970s, launched by two designers, Nicola Pelly and Harry Parnass, who previously worked for the Canadian fashion brand Le Chateau. I was aware that an exhibition at Montreal’s McCord Museum was in the works as far back as 2020, and that the exhibition had been postponed due to the COVID19 pandemic. The day I visited was brutally cold (traveling to Montreal in the winter months is not for the faint of heart).
I intentionally try to avoid seeing photos or coverage of an exhibition before I visit, so that I can enter with as fresh a perspective as possible. The entrance and first display were captivating and immediately offered a sense of the Parachute world. Concrete slabs, LED tube lighting, and the distinctive silhouettes of the garments.
Parachute was clearly quite special. There is an overlap no doubt with the worlds of Mugler, Claude Montana, Willi Smith, Issey Miyake, and other designers of that time. However Parachute’s designs were ever so slightly simplified in an accessible way, which likely positively impacted the commercial success of the brand.
Early on in the exhibition a video display showed still photographs of a Parachute fashion show held at a Montreal nightclub. It was evident the ways in which the designers began to cultivate a community and establish a brand identity from very early on. Their retail stores had a very distinctive, industrial aesthetic, and the exhibition guide noted the intentionality in which staff were hired.
The garment designs were more nuanced than I initially anticipated. Although boxy, military proportions are not exactly subtle, the way in which pieces were displayed allowed viewers to see the amount of pleats and folds that were often incorporated.
As the brand grew in scale, the designers travelled more frequently. This conceivably influenced their design aesthetic, and certain distinctive Japanese details crept in over the lifespan of the brand.
Parachute designs were noted to have been worn by a lengthy list of celebrities, which is highlighted as the exhibition draws to a close. The abrupt closing of the brand in the 1990s is noteworthy, not because it was the result of financial difficulty, rather the designers felt they had accomplished what they set out to do. In an interview, surviving designer Nicola Pelly (Harry Parnass passed away in January 2021) mentioned that it was also the amount of travel and time spent on the phone, neither of which were creatively nourishing that impacted the decision to cease operations. Nonetheless, it’s not often in fashion that a brand closes shop in this way, with either a dramatic collapse or slow gradual fall from favour more common.
“Parachute: Subversive Fashion of the ’80s” is on view at Montreal’s McCord Museum until April 24, 2022.
Behind the Scenes with Parachute (virtual talk)
Dressed: The History of Fashion podcast interview with McCord Fashion curator Alexis Walker