Inside The Whimsical World of Elizabeth Parker
FABRIC Co-Owner Angela Johnson dreams big. In the heart of Arizona, she’s creating another major fashion capital.
Angela Johnson’s vision: “If we can re-shore the fashion industry, make it better, make it more sustainable, use technology to make it better and more sustainable, and create, like, a new way of doing it—basically—and put it right here in Arizona. Why can’t Arizona be the headquarters of the fashion industry?”
“When I was a child I wanted to be green” — Elizabeth Parker
A proud member of FABRIC and contributor to this dream, Elizabeth Parker upholds the wearable art community. Her eccentric pieces combine fashion with art, giving everyone—of all ages—a chance to feel fabulous. When you see her, you know she’s a wearable artist. As a well-known local creative, she’s designed for all kinds of socialites and participates in countless local events.
There are many ways to describe Elizabeth, but she defines herself proudly: “I always was artist the growing painter, and this I compared later to the fashion. That’s my three brothers (referring to slideshow) and I… in school, the queen. I always like to be a queen. I don’t know if this is good or not.”
Johnson says, “She creates items we wish we could wear every day—or I do—because life is too short.”
Born in Poland and rich with exposure to culture and art, Parker moved to the United States to give her children a better life amid Poland’s struggling economy. She was hired at an engineering office despite not being able to read English, relying on her knowledge of textile patterns and blueprints to get by. “You are in deep water and you have two children, so you do what you must to survive,” Parker added.
Her sewing skills were self-taught, and she lightheartedly reminded us, “When you are in deep waters… you learn.” Many designers lack the sewing skills to produce diverse products and end up hiring specialized staff, but Parker learned how to do these things herself.
As she takes us through her career experiences, she notes, “It isn’t, for me, about the money… I like to see the woman happy.” She’s done everything from pattern painting to custom-made accessories, mural painting, furniture sales, and even house painting.
Parker was so good that she joked about selling furniture to people who didn’t even own homes yet: “I call this victory too.” When she moved to Arizona, she started making her own custom items from FABRIC’s leftover scraps, who she actually visited on her first day in the desert, and began selling her creations at parties. She tells audience from the beginning her mission was to create
“Fun, no stress!”
Parker’s models wear vibrant green shawls, irregularly knotted t-shirts, extravagant hats, lush flowers, and sparkly, sustainable bags, all made from FABRIC’s leftover materials. “It’s fun because it is art but also sustainable!” Parker noted.
Patsy, Parker’s good designer friend and most loyal customer, stays true to her love for wearable art and one-of-a-kind pieces. She styled herself down to the shoes and embraced Parker as a friend and creative partner. “We inspire each other.”
Johnson adds, “That’s the beauty about the local fashion industry. We support each other. They collaborate, and people are doing the same things. I love it.”
Parker believes sustainability is a necessary part of fashion: “We can make, you know, something which will be waste, which will be in [the] landfill. For me, sustainable fashion is like brother and sister. They belong together… So and if we add a little heart to it, it’s like extra flavor, you know?”
FABRIC has plenty of scraps left over from local manufacturing and design. Johnson explains, “We have a bin that we’ve always made available to local designers to come. If you’ve never sewn before, you can come in and you can learn to use the sewing machine and you can stitch your scraps—you can bring some or use ours—and create pieces that you can then turn into something else.”
“Fabric is your friend. No stress. Just fun and creativity…make it you.” Parker adds.
Patsy then asks Parker, “What do you think sustainability does for the New World 2025 for fabrics?” Parker answers, “We see every how many recycle, how many clothes is just put in the garbage. And the mission of sustainable is like, you know, create from this waste… It’s something like this more special. So we have [the] opportunity, we can do it.”
Johnson has been producing FABRIC’s LabelHorde fashion show since 2002. Each year includes up to 60 local designers, each presenting one signature look. It’s happening again this year, December 6th, as part of the Tempe Festival of the Arts. “If you want to see all the diverse, different brands that exist in Arizona, it’s a little bit of everything. It’s the coolest show. Up to 60 designers, 60 models,” Johnson shares.
FABRIC’s goal is to re-shore the sustainable fashion industry and provide resources through sustainable tech right here in Arizona. As a nonprofit, we’ve given countless resources and opportunities to the local creative community.
“That’s the future, that’s where we need to go,” Johnson says.
You can visit our “testimonials” tab to read stories like Parker’s and discover the many brands that have grown from FABRIC. Through these designers, FABRIC has made an impact right here in Arizona and across the U.S.
