Out of a search for classic and timeless pieces that can be dressed up or down as a wardrobe staple, Chelsea Parke Kramer built Parke. Kramer initially launched with a small drop of recycled denim pieces. Given the appetite for more of what Kramer was designing, Parke expanded into everyday basics, its own denim collection and full ready to wear collections as of today. Although Kramer’s background is in traditional fashion wholesale, she found going off season with small monthly drops is what her consumers preferred. Kramer’s approach to transparent building of the brand alongside her consumers has scaled Parke to $15 million in under two years.
“My previous background is in wholesale, but what we learned is that our customer doesn’t need a fall/winter collection, and that be the only collection of the fall/winter. They want something new once or twice a month. That being said, we haven’t had a core collection yet as we have taken the last year to see what items will live in our core collection come next year,” she shared. “In 2022, Parke brought in just $100k in sales then in 2023, it grew to $1 million in sales. However, looking ahead to the year end in 2024, we project a remarkable leap to $14 million+ in sales. This substantial growth reflects our strategic initiatives, expanded market reach, and the increasing demand for our offerings. With this growth, we have yet to pay $1 in ad spend, but can be attributed to several strategies such as expanding our product offerings, developing a brand marketing strategy, a structured launch calendar, pop up stores, and building an amazing community.”
A key factor in Parke’s success is how Kramer shares her personal story as founder in real time in parallel to the behind the scenes of building Parke with almost 200,000 followers across social media. “I truly believe that transparency is key to building a strong brand, in any sense. Since inception I’ve shared my journey of the business on social media, showcasing our successes as well as the daily challenges I face running a company and that my team faces. I believe that people feel connected not only through my personal journey but also through the collective experience of where we started and how far we’ve come- from packing orders at home to leading a full team,” explained Kramer. The Parke team prioritizes engaging with its community by asking questions and actively seeking their feedback. Kramer emphasized that this two-way communication is invaluable for them as it not only helps her to better understand the wants of the customers but also makes them feel heard and valued. “When customers see that their input directly influences our brand, it deepens their loyalty and encourages repeat purchases. Ultimately, this transparent approach has transformed our followers into a full on community that supports us and shares in our growth collection after collection.”
Adding to transparency, Kamer also attributes the fast success of Parke to community and passion, “Transparency builds trust with our customers. Community is vital; we try to create connections that go beyond just purchasing something online, whether that’s in person at a popup, through top level customer service, or engagement on social media. Lastly, my passion as a young entrepreneur I think really resonates with our audience, helping them relate to our brand on a personal level. This combination creates a loyal customer base that feels truly connected to us.” Parke’s loyal following doesn’t just keep coming back solely because they feel connected- they love the fit and quality. Kramer’s attention to detail on quality assurance has allowed the brand to add new offerings across fashion verticals. If a collection or piece isn’t up to par, Kramer has had no problem starting over.
As a digital first brand, Parke’s pop-ups have brought the community together while giving customers a chance to connect with Kramer and the collection IRL. The pop-ups initially started small across New York and Miami but in February of this year Parke’s Valentines Day pop-up completely sold out and the following NYC pop-up had lines around the corner which inspired Kramer to increase the frequency of these interactive experiences. The pop-ups amass thousands of customers and bring in hundreds of thousands dollars in sales. For Kramer the most important part of these experiences is spending time with her customers one on one. Parke creates a custom drop for each popup and features some of the top selling SKU’s like the gray varsity PARKE mockneck, horseshoe and classic jeans. Parke’s latest collection features corduroys, overalls, denim jeans and jackets in browns, creams and blues. Kramer is planning one more pop-up before the end of the year.
Going into 2025, Kramer is gearing to scale Parke even more, introducing a core collection, new collaborations and pop-ups across more cities.
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