The Parke Sweatshirt: Is it Worth the Hype?
Written by Madesyn Hughes
Everyone has seen it at this point. Even if you haven’t realized you have, it has been in front of your face. Chelsea Parke’s branded sweatshirts are absolutely everywhere. Especially in college campuses, high schools, or the post-grad world, people are wearing Parke sweatshirts. It is more common for people to be wearing it than could be expected, as it truly is a $130 sweatshirt that has a “random” person's last name on it. Parke has built itself up to be worth over $15 million by 2024 and it is likely that it is more than double that now. Many people have strong opinions about this sweatshirt– they either love it or they hate it. People across social media platforms have made comments about whether this sweatshirt is worth it or not. This is the real question for this brand, whether the strong hype that has been built up around it lines up to the quality of the sweatshirt itself, and if that truly makes it worth the $130.
Before looking at the marketing and purchase values of the sweatshirt, it is important to recognize what Parke started off as. Parke began as a sustainable jeans company in 2022, created by Chelsea Parke, as she was searching for “the perfect pairs to bring back to life.” She has stated that she looked at all styles of jeans and was working to upcycle denim to build a “classic wardrobe” that could also be “timeless.” She started simple, as many small brands do, packing orders out of her parents' home and posting behind the scenes. As she continuously posted and released denim collections, her platform and community behind her continued to grow. Parke’s jeans aren’t what the brand is known for today, but it is important to recognize those beginnings, as the mission of the company is rooted in being timeless and sustainable overall. About a year after their first jean launch, they launched their first mockneck after Parke posted a sample of it on social media, and followers showed extreme interest. From then on, their brand grew substantially. As they grew in popularity from their sweatshirt collections, they were able to release their own denim line in 2024, sticking with their roots. Parke has a success story that is seen much more commonly in today’s world, as small businesses have the ability to grow with social media that is different than ever before. Parke’s success story would be extremely different if it weren’t for their rising social presence and use of platforms.
The marketing tactics that Parke undertook in their growth are some of the most successful in the loungewear category, especially for a small business just starting out. Their denim was popular, but it was their sweatshirts that were the most unexpected part of their story. The random sweatshirt sample Parke shared on social media changed her brand and success completely. Their strategic scheduled drops and releases brought them the most success. They have always been very ritualistic in their releases, which allows followers to feel like they have something other people can’t have, building exclusivity. This allows for a natural excitement and wanting to purchase to build on social media, with the anticipation of the drop. There is also the excitement of what is coming next in the monthly ritual that keeps customers hooked to repurchase. For a $130 sweatshirt company, their marketing is unexpectedly done without big advertisements or influencer collaborations, but with a following and tension of what comes next. For example, Parke has made it clear they do not send all their PR packages to influencers and people with big followings, but to smaller creators who actually wear their products. This shows customers that they actually care and builds a community around their brand. Instead of being so focused on growing a big following, Parke has focused on creating a community that feels special and unique when customers are wearing the sweatshirt. This is what makes the $130 mentally worth it to consumers. Parke’s branding has successfully created a community people want to be a part of, creating value in their product for their audience in an already oversaturated market.
Parke has proven to create value for their customers with ease for the first purchase, but the question is whether their actual value sanctions repeated purchases. Their drops include different collections that add value and diversity to their designs. Parke has their usual mockneck design, as well as a crewneck with the same designs. On these mocknecks, each drop includes different designs. They have their basic ones with just the “PARKE” logo across the middle that they release with different colors for different collections. Some drops will also include sweatshirts with different designs on them, such as their “Cities Collection” including a logo for each major city. These different designs create an appealing sweatshirt in terms of looks to customers, as they use unique colors and designs different from other loungewear brands. In doing these different drops, Parke is a mostly online brand; they do sell some of their basic sweatshirts in boutiques and Anthropologie. One of the most difficult parts of online shopping for customers is the inability to tell the quality of the product, but luckily, there are reviews all over social media that potential Parke customers can look at. The sweatshirts themselves are not known to be screen-printed, but usually embroidered, where the logo and design are sewn on. This is very effective in their mission of being sustainable, as it is a needed part of their quality for their price point. The detailed fabrics of the sweatshirt are nothing much different from those of an Aritzia, which comes in at a lower price of $85. Parke’s sweatshirts are 80% cotton and 20% polyester, which is relatively sufficient in terms of their value of being timeless. However, for their price point, it could be more effective to have a higher cotton blend in their sweatshirts. They also have more than just sweatshirts in their drops, selling denim, sweatpants, claw clips, shorts, tank tops, and more. Their products sell to consumers with their looks and feel in a majority of situations, which adds to their total value to answer the question of whether they’re worth it.
The question of whether this sweatshirt is worth the hype is a big one, as the hype for it is so big. It is a difficult question to answer, as there is such a major emotional connection between customers and the brand that can be difficult to articulate. Overall, the Parke sweatshirt can be seen as an extremely strong success story in the brands of today, setting itself apart from others. Parke has created a community that believes their sweatshirts are more than worth it, but there are also many people outside of it who believe it is too expensive or not of good quality. It is a question to ask yourself if you are ever considering purchasing, to know if you are just being hooked in by the trend, or actually believe it is a product of quality. It has been proven that the quality is mostly timeless and sustainable, and their marketing is more than enough to hook customers, so the question becomes personal, of how these values impact you in your purchase. $130 is a great amount of money for a sweatshirt– many can agree on that. And yet, Parke has made it more than worth it to spend and come back to buy more.
Edited by Avery Charlesworth, Ben Weisse, Leila Ianovici and Isabella Zapata
https://startupspace.substack.com/p/how-parke-built-a-16m-brand-without
https://parkeofficial.com/products/classic-mockneck
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8XPmM2s/
https://www.tiktok.com/@hollyjreardon/video/7463210163856575775
