McCord museum plunge into the Montreal avant-garde

Parachute: Subversive Fashion of the 80s is a retrospective of the history of this avant-garde Montreal brand, a true global phenomenon from 1977 to 1993. Stars like Madonna, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Duran Duran or Michael Jackson have worn Parachute clothing.

The exhibition presented at the McCord Museum from Friday features some sixty Parachute creations, 140 archival documents, sketches, fashion photographs, interviews and video clips like Madonna's performance at the Live Aid concert in 1985, watched by 1.9 billion spectators, where she wore a Parachute jacket.

Founded in 1977 in Montreal by American architect and urban planner Harry Parnass and British clothing designer Nicola Pelly, Parachute was inspired in its early days by the Montreal new wave scene. The two co-founders met in the design workshops of the Le Château chain in Montreal and decided to launch their brand, which was intended to be marginal, rebellious and underground.

Their first boutique is located on Crescent Street, in a bunker-like semi-basement that quickly becomes a very popular place for insiders.

"The success of Parachute is architectural silhouettes, structured, military forms, futuristic, androgynous and minimalist fashion and the fact of wanting to dress differently", explains Stéphane Le Duc, associate curator of the exhibition. . “Parachute is also synonymous with comfortable clothing. They were among the first to create t-shirts and hoodies with their logo. The name Parachute is the idea of ​​jumping into the void, of taking risks. »

Avant-garde stores

Harry Parnass, who is an architect, designs Parachute stores as large meeting spaces, with an industrial aesthetic and an esplanade for customers to parade and hang out produce. It is inspired by Italian piazzas where people meet and stroll. “This desire to create an environment with the layout of its stores is what has made Parachute internationally renowned,” says Stéphane Le Duc.

“Today we talk about in-store experience, but they had understood this as early as 1980. We arrived in a privileged, underground place and it felt like we were in an art gallery. When they opened the 10,000 square foot store in Soho, in this new artist district of New York, it was definitely a destination that everyone wanted to visit! Madonna frequented the store, Mick Jagger danced on the stands, Andy Warhol was a regular. We listened to music there, all that created the Parachute myth with the clothes that people liked and this audacious and avant-garde side,” recalls Stéphane Le Duc, who treasured some Parachute clothes bought in the 80s.

The last part of the exhibition reproduces the spirit of the stores. There is also an interview with Harry Parnass, co-founder of Parachute, who died in January 2021.

Remember I asked for your help on how to clean a brush from varnish?… https://t.co/ZaoOuG3ufa

— Irina Cumberland Mon May 14 19:32:07 +0000 2018

The pleasure of creating

The co-founder of Parachute, Nicola Pelly, did not realize, at the time, the influence of the brand. “We loved creating clothes so much, for us it was a real pleasure. It wasn't just the clothing, it was also the design of the shops, the logos, the photographs,” she says.

Authenticity, for us, is what was most important. We were inspired by people on the street, sportswear, military style. We wanted to create comfortable and very practical clothes. Fashion is a means of expression. We wanted everyone to develop their style, their identity, while developing their self-confidence.

Nicola Pelly, co-founder of Parachute

She also thinks the timing worked in their favour. “With the birth of music videos, music channels like MTV, MuchMusic and MusiquePlus, artists needed to wear original creations, and it was them at that time who personally took care of going to stores! Many artists wear parachutes: Peter Gabriel, Grace Jones, David Bowie, George Michael and Corey Hart, among others. "Peter Gabriel has become a friend," says Nicola Pelly, who immigrated to Montreal in 1971. She came from London where she had studied fashion design.

For Alexis Walker, assistant curator of the Costume, Fashion and Textiles collection at the McCord Museum, Parachute represents Montreal's greatest fashion success story. "It's part of the city's history. The exhibition celebrates the creative universe of Parachute and illustrates the concepts behind its design. They are real fashion trendsetters, they set trends. We hope that people who lived through the era will be happy to rediscover the 80s with a certain nostalgia, and that the youngest will be happy to discover them, ”says the one who is also curator of the exhibition.

Stéphane Le Duc wants this exhibition to inspire the youngest. “It’s good to show them that it all comes from Montreal and that this success is possible, and it is even more so today with the means of communication. »

With current trends, Parachute could still exist today.

[Parachute] is still very current, you could find all these clothes in stores today. High-waisted pants, loose jackets, oversized shoulders... It's sad that the brand no longer exists, even the logo is still very current.

Stéphane Le Duc, associate curator of the exhibition

And why did the adventure end in 1993? “We had no more fun, explains Nicola Pelly. We did way too much management, not enough creation, we had trouble delegating. At first, we thought it was going to last ten years, no more. We decided to stop. We had young children too, and I wanted to spend more time with them. »

"With Stéphane Le Duc, who had the idea for this retrospective, we wanted it to be more than an exhibition on fashion, that it also focuses on Montreal, the emergence of new wave culture, the importance of music and design. I am very moved to see the result, really. It's a great tribute to our work,” says Nicola Pelly.

The exhibition Parachute: Subversive Fashion of the 80s is presented at the McCord Museum from November 19 to April 24, 2022.