Friends laughed and smiled knowingly when Sabine Parenti first described her idea to sell high-end cashmere designs privately by appointment.“Do you remember Tupperware? That private system, also by cosmetics, which they invented? When I did it for high-end clients with fashion, friends had that in mind, and laughed,” said Parenti. “Now you call it pop-up,” added the designer, who lives in Zurich, in a home filled with her other passion: Contemporary art.Parenti’s pop-ups, now in 25 cities worldwide and expanding, are run by agents and are more like temporary showrooms than ephemeral stores, because products are not immediately available to take home. To her surprise, that very aspect has helped attract a growing clientele eager for a customized, unique experience and final product.“I thought that two months was a long time for the customer to wait,” she said. “For production it’s a miracle, but for the final customer it’s a long time. And they said, no, they love the idea that they are choosing what they want, and not choosing from things in a shop, or even in an e-commerce. Here you order what you want, and you produce what you want,” which helps saves the customer shopping time.“I had initially undervalued how much they really like that,” said Parenti. “I think for luxury products, you can see pictures, but you want to touch it, and to feel it. I make the experience, so that people love to come.”Before pop-ups and the e-commerce boom, the Dusseldorf-born designer was one of the first to sidestep the risky investment associated with traditional retail, 15 years ago. Moved to start her own brand initially for children’s clothing, after working for fashion labels Joop, Helmut Lang, La Perla and Rena Lange, Parenti began developing her alternative business model. “I didn’t like the retail business so much. It was so difficult, the shops say they want to buy, then they place orders, but don’t pay,” especially when a brand is starting out, explained Parenti. That led her to private sales.“Because you produce only that what you need, you don’t have the problem where you’re making something in green and black, but everyone wants yellow and blue,” said Parenti. Thanks to her low overhead, the designer is able to sell a luxury cardigan starting at 250 euros, or about $290, which would easily cost double the price in stores. Now, many who first scoffed at her idea, are doing the same. Her elegant, modern designs using unusual color and detail are also inspired by the art world in which Parenti spends a lot of time, and the traveling women she sees there.“I’m inspired by women. I travel a lot, so I’m happy I can combine a lot of interests. I travel for art fairs, museum shows, the artists, etc..., and there are always very chic women and men there, so seeing them is very inspiring,” said Parenti. Lately, some of her color ideas have come from antique Italian ceramic tiles, which she also collects.The designer and her husband have amassed an impressive international Contemporary art collection that fills their home, and Parenti’s studio and showroom. Parenti also participates on the board of the Swiss Institute, New York, as well as serving as an ambassador for the art fair Manifesta, not to mention serving on the Human Rights Watch committee in Zurich.Her involvement with the arts has helped Parenti, who studied art history, meet regularly with Contemporary artists. She says the exchange has pushed her to better understand the world around her and examine her own life. “The real challenge is to understand the art of your time, when you are living, not 50 years later,” said Parenti.“Artists have this way of expressing what is going on or what they feel, in a different way,” Parenti said. “And they are always ahead of everybody else, because they are so sensitive. That’s also why I love to be with artists, and even with the younger generation, because they tell you what they think, what they like, what they see, and [understanding their work] is a challenge for me. So you’re constantly asking about yourself, which I think is great, because it gives you the opportunity to change yourself. I think there’s nothing worse than always doing the same things.”She applies that same search for authenticity to fashion design, resulting in a clothing line emanating sophisticated individuality, without trying too hard, and minus the excessive consumption. “I love fashion, because fashion is also contemporary, but I like when you choose items from what you already have, and build your own personality, in a good way — fashion is great, but don’t be a fashion victim,” notes the designer, and mother of three.Parenti’s travel kit of pullovers, tops, jackets, blouses, dresses, trousers and now pajamas, come in silk, cashmere, virgin wool, cotton and her specialty, 3.5-gauge up to thinly knit, 18-gauge cashmere. Items are machine washable and produced in an exclusive factory in China, Portugal, Italy and southern Germany for handknit pieces, all of which are able to produce special, small orders. Some of the same colors come in several styles, so that while traveling, a single item in an outfit can be switched with a new one, creating a new look.“The style is more or less: from morning to evening you’ll always be fine, because I know from experience, that you can’t always change — you have no time. So the idea came from my own lifestyle, and I think that’s what people appreciate,” said Parenti. “Some basic colors are also always the same, so you can always build up your wardrobe.”Her successful formula has allowed the company to steadily grow, and add a new, unisex collection to be unveiled this fall. Few, if any, are laughing now.This column appears in the Fall 2018 edition of BlouinShop. Subscribe at www.blouinsubscriptions.comhttps://www.blouinartinfo.com/              Founder: Louise Blouin Read more