by Robecca Leyden
We chatted to Zara Parmenter, the designer behind the label 'Billie Zinzan', about what inspires her, how she got started and her fascinating life in the fashion industry.
Why is 'slow fashion' important to you?
Having grown up on a farm, I've always felt very connected to the natural world so it has never sat well with me to be creating in a way that is really damaging to our environment. When I started my first label Eric & Billy, I was completely taken aback at the amount of waste I was producing just as a tiny brand and this is what sparked me to start learning about sustainability within fashion. I've worked in high street suppliers and fast fashion brands as a designer- and even though the places I was working produced relatively small quantities, just being in that world opened my eyes to the sheer gross excess of production and issues that arise due to the nature of throw-away fast fashion culture.
I'd love to think that culturally we're shifting towards a world in which consumers appreciate just how many people are involved in making a garment and stop to think about how that $15 price tag is possible. Slow fashion is important to me because I want to create with intention, consciously, for my beautiful customers to have something that fits them perfectly and makes them feel amazing and for all the people who are involved in the process to be paid fairly.
Garments with stories are always treasured more and with a brand like mine where the focus is made-to-order, as a customer, you start to build a relationship with the garment from the get go - choose the colour, take your measurements, eagerly await the arrival and maybe have a chat with the designer/ maker. It sparks a story you know - one that I hope has many more chapters added to it!
What inspires you to create?
Inspiration comes from many sources - sometimes odd or surprising. I once designed a collection based on sea slugs haha. It can be anything from film, to a colour combination, the natural beauty of where I live, a piece of art, a moment in time or wanting something to function in a certain way. I draw a lot on trying to capture a feeling - like the anticipation that lingers in the air of a summer evening, the energy at the beginning of a grand adventure,manifesting confidence, memories with a loved one or the vibe of an inspirational friend.
It's fun to try to make my version of those intangible things into a physical representation. I think that capturing a feeling underpins everything when I design, even if visual inspirations are somewhat eclectic.
We LOVE that so many of your designs have multiple ways of wearing them. What first made you want to do this? What's one of your more interesting pieces to date that illustrates this?
It seems like the multifunctional pieces were a result of a fairly lengthy wardrobe journey. In 2019 I tasked myself to not buy anything brand new for a year. I could thrift but nothing else. I wasn't a big shopper anyway but working in the industry meant I had accumulated so many samples as part of my wardrobe! I'm pretty happy to say that apart from one coffee-related-incident-before-an-important-event-new-purchase, only 6 thrifted items came in and a whopping 60% of my wardrobe was sold or given away. This process made me get creative with the way I wore things.
When I moved back to NZ in 2020 I downsized my wardrobe again and found that it didn't serve my needs or the way I wanted to feel for each part of my life. Strapped for cash, I couldn't afford to go out and buy 3 ethically made tops to be who I wanted to be in, and I found it really difficult to find thrifted pieces that felt like my thing, in my size, here in NZ. This led to me thinking how cool would it be for one top to function as three, for a single piece to work really hard in your wardrobe, work across seasons and be able to easily transform from workwear to something you feel playful or sexy in. I also wanted locally made, bold, ethical slow fashion to feel more accessible. Yes, it may have a higher price tag, but with multifunctional pieces the cost per wear comes waaaaay down and you feel like you're getting such great value for money while still supporting local, ethically made fashion.
In terms of interesting pieces, the Zaza dress is the crowd favourite. It's a classic wrap dress with a difference. It has multiple sleeve options with 18 ways to wear it and counting. You can even wear it as a duster coat.
How did you get into the fashion industry?
Six months after graduating and unsuccessfully finding a job in the industry I decided to just do it myself. Naivety is a gift! I threw myself into the deep end and set up my first label Eric & Billy. After very slow sales in the boutique my label was stocked at, I decided to open up a pop up shop and that's when it got good. I couldn't keep up with demand, which is the best thing I could have asked for. I was very much in love with my soon to be husband at that point and for family reasons we then moved to the UK so he could be near his Mum. I found it pretty tough getting into design but I persisted and landed a job designing at a small high street supplier where I was lucky enough to travel a lot and get a feel for the industry.
What other designers and creative people do you look up to?
I always admire people who are unapologetically themselves. For me the most inspiring stories are of people who have built labels from the ground up. Brands like Zimmermann who started by selling at their local markets or household UK names like Monsoon who started by trading from a stall on Portobello Road, London. It lets me know that my goals are achievable working from my garage studio and I'm not mad as a hatter! I also admire designers like Stella McCartney who led the way on the sustainability forefront.
What are some career highlights for you?
- I was very lucky to travel as much as I did as a junior designer. I saw some cool places! I got to tick off Seoul, Hong Kong, Copenhagen and a fair few others!
- Being able to look back on my just turned 22 year old self and know she fully backed herself to start a label and just went for it. Damn I'm proud of that girl.
- Returning home to NZ years after starting my first label and seeing a woman sitting next to me in a cafe wearing one of my pieces.You can never beat seeing your creations in the wild!
What do you look forward to or aspire to as a designer?
The thing that makes me feel happiest is being able to create something beautiful that brings people joy. That's my why. It's one thing to be able to create something gorgeous that you're super proud of and would love to wear yourself, but for that thing to light someone else up, where you can see that they feel good about themselves in it?
That. That's the cherry on top.
What advice would you give anyone starting in the fashion industry?
Trust your gut and have persistence. Be prepared to pick yourself up a lot and do like Dory does - just keep swimming! Listen to advice but only take what serves you from it - not all of it is going to be right for you and your goals. Be true to yourself - you are your USP.
And finally, If you weren't in fashion, what would you like to be doing?
There are a lot of roles that I've found myself intrigued by but there is always a creative element to it. I'd probably be doing something like event styling, graphic design or being a ceramicist! Ooooo or a jeweller - yes, I would make all the shiny things.
