Loading

THE ORIGINS OF THE SMITH+PARKA NAME

FAQ: WHERE DOES THE NAME SMITH+PARKA COME FROM?

The name's history goes back to the early days of my career. The fashion industry had a habit of pigeonholing you depending on what company you came from. So I used a hypothetical brand name for my designs when preparing my portfolio for new job opportunities. I wanted to use something familiar sounding, American, and generic enough that it was not synonymous with any other brand. I chose the name "Smith" to brand all my portfolio work.

In 2014 I wanted to brand my projects with a more identifiable name. Since I had the "Smith" name already established in my work I wanted to keep it and add a distinguishable surname. The idea that "Polo" is so synonymous with Ralph Lauren, inspired me to use the work "Parka". A parka jacket was also the first garment I fully constructed during my time at F.I.T.

Putting the two names felt right and also phonetically flowed nicely. The name Smith+Parka was born.

Established in 2014 as a passion project.

In 2014 I decided to use the name Smith+Parka towards a passion project that was a menswear line. Starting with vector sketches I did in Illustrator, I was fleshing out the brand aesthetic and use of graphics.

Heritage Label

Starting with a script font that read more classic with a timeless look. I chose the New York flag colors, orange white and blue.

SPORTSMAN LABEL

Inspired by vintage workwear labels the diamond shaped logo patch, sports a offset triangle that sets it apart from other workwear labels. The font I designed from a hybrid of a serif and san-serif font, I wanted something bold with a sense of a classic feel. The "No.19" is a nod to growing up in the 1990's, on the opposite side there is just the "smith co." which is a nod to my early career.

OFFSET DIAMOND MODERN LOGO

In 2016 I further defined the brand to be more modern with a menswear sensibility. A gold foil embossed black leatherette logo patch was designed to elevate without overpowering the product. I was a simplified version of the sportsman patch. It also reads more unisex, which would be an unintentional yet very fortunate design benefit.

Credits:

david lee