“It has been a pretty exciting ride,” says David Parkes about his 50-year career in textiles. What has fueled that excitement is Parkes’ enduring passion to drive new ideas that bring to market new product for brands and consumers, which helps the industry to grow and prosper. It’s not done by physical development of the garment, but rather by Parkes’ unique ability to identify a particular fabric that is practical, functional and makes a difference by enhancing the user experience. 

With a degree in marketing, not textiles, Parkes’ first exposure in the industry was with UK-based Borg Textiles and the earliest launch of sliver knits (pile, sherpa, faux fur), in the 1960s, an experience Parkes believes ensured that innovation would be central to his professional DNA. Following success in the European market, the firm transferred Parkes to the U.S in 1973, where a few short years later he was hired by Malden Mills. Initially charged with market planning, in 1981 Parkes was appointed sales director for the launch of what would become a game-changing, and now iconic, outdoor fabric — Polar Fleece. (Malden Mills became Polartec in 2007.) 

Recognizing the potential of a then young, but vibrant outdoor industry, in 1983 Parkes founded Concept III, a domestic textile resource. The “III” in the company name stood for service, styling and sales — and still does. “It has worked well over the years and we’ll stay with what we’re good at,” comments Parkes. 

We caught up with Parkes following his return from exhibiting at the Performance Days fair in Munich. Here’s an edited version of our lively conversation with key talking points:

On Innovation: Parkes is a firm believer in how textiles drive innovation. “Innovation, not refinement, is needed to prosper, and lead as an industry. Innovation takes time, takes commitment from the fiber mills to the brands, and takes creative marketing. Polar Fleece by Malden came about as they were trying to achieve a mohair/alpaca look that was popular with Malden Mills’ 7th Ave customer base at that time. What emerged was a magical fabric, but we weren’t sure what to make of it. It had a great look, a great hand, but pilled like crazy! However, the focus on bringing newness to market was such that we continued to develop it, worked on the pilling problem and it became a universal product that a handful of brands — Patagonia, TNF, Lands End, and LL Bean — brought to market all working together.” In the 90s the same approach to innovation — clever marketing and team effort — Concept III was instrumental in ushering in another standout textile development for outdoor, high pile Berber fabrics. 

On Sustainability: “The industry has made strides in sustainability, and there is no doubt sustainability advances were necessary. However, this hasn’t resulted in a game changer product with consumers. Is the consumer going to be excited by saving water? Is that feature enough to make a purchase of a performance garment? Are consumers going to think, ‘I want to buy that jacket because it uses less H20 in the manufacturing process?’ If a consumer is shopping online for a jacket, they are looking for style, color, function with the added benefit of a sustainability story. While we respect compliance that comes with sustainability and performance and responsibility of manufacturing, there is a new level of compliance over the past 10 years that requires a constant need for data and testing for supply chain information that may be taking time away from innovation. Textile engineering and lab specialists now are spending more time on compliance requirements than playing around with new concepts.” 

On Supply Chain: “When outdoor was growing and finding its groove it was a U.S. market, you were a phone call or a fax away from your supply chain partners. The upheaval to Asia left a big void, and the years from 1998 to 2002-03 was a very challenging period. With a global economy taking shape, we expanded Concept III from a domestic resource to an international one during the 90s when we began looking overseas for new partnerships. The advent of today’s supply chain, with so much done in Asia, has changed things. With a focus on volume and a price-driven strategy, there is less adventure in today’s supply chain to inspire outdoor textile innovation.”

On What’s Next: “There’s been more going on in athleisure and urban wear recently, than in traditional outdoor. But I sense we might be turning a corner. Workwear is growing rapidly and mid-layer is a category to watch. I see an extension of fleece or sherpa and growth in performance knits — something between midlayer shirts and a lightweight sweatshirt jersey. There’s lots of passion in the industry, but also fear of taking a risk, and that a garment might ‘fail.’ However, I feel optimistic as long as companies find collaboration and unity in development of new innovative product and good marketing to support it.”