Parachute: Subversive Fashion of the ‘80s

Type: Exhibition
Location: McCord Museum, Montreal, QC
Year: 2021

The McCord Museum’s exhibition—Parachute: Subversive Fashion of the ‘80s —opened on November 19. From its beginnings inspired by New Wave subculture to its position as a veritable international fashion sensation, the Parachute brand from Montreal was recognized from New York to Tokyo for its visionary, bold apparel and innovative concept stores. The exhibition explores the history of the brand, a go-to label for stars like Madonna, Peter Gabriel and David Bowie, while immersing visitors in the exuberance of the 1980s.

The exhibition is organized into five areas. The first—New Wave Beginnings—recounts the early years of the brand, which was inspired by the emerging Montreal New Wave scene, when the co-founders met in the design studios of Montreal-based fashion retailer Le Château. The second—Collage & Hybrid—presents Parnass and Pelly’s design techniques, a postmodern approach that synthesized sartorial references from various sources to produce challenging and contemporary silhouettes. The third area—Underground Images—illustrates Parachute’s striking, elegant promotional images, which solidified the brand’s subversive, avant-garde reputation while driving consumer desire. The fourth—Music Videos, Rock Stars and Miami Vice— explores the advent of MTV, MuchMusic and Musique plus, networks which broadcast music videos 24 hours a day and had a tremendous impact on the pop culture of the 1980s. This section also references the stars who wore Parachute, including Don Johnson in Miami Vice, Michael Jackson, Madonna and the band Duran Duran. The fifth area—The Store Experience—looks at the cutting-edge Parachute concept stores, notably those in Montreal, New York City and Los Angeles, whose high-tech, industrial aesthetic, at once minimalist and grand, created unique public spaces where people could meet and be seen.

AWARDS

2023 - Richard Martin Exhibition Award - Costume Society of America (CSA)

Photography @ Alex Lesage