The psychedelic songwriter, never known for his dress sense, looks back on his summer highlights, from designing clothes for chic French label APC – and singing with Dua on the Pyramid stage
Kevin Parker remembers the first time he ever splurged on an item of clothing: he was out shopping with his girlfriend, now wife, and bought a Gucci jacket. “It was by far the most extravagant thing I had spent money on, and I remember thinking, ‘Wow, I just did that,’” he recalls. In the kind of music community Parker comes from – his multimillion-selling psychedelic project Tame Impala has its roots in the DIY scene of Fremantle, Australia – people balk at a £50 jacket, let alone one that might cost 30 times that. “The world I come from is sceptical, not instinctively warmed by the world of fashion,” he says. However, “it was one of those things of slowly seeing that it’s not about the shallow aesthetic, it can be more about expressing yourself, and now I respect it in the same way I respect all other art forms.” Plus: “To be fair, it’s a sick jacket.”
How quickly things change: Parker has just unveiled a fashion line in partnership with the French label APC, known for its chic, minimalist basics and collaborations with icons such as Jane Birkin and Kid Cudi. Parker is not necessarily known for his fashion sense, making the collaboration something of a surprise. “It definitely wasn’t on my bingo card for my career,” he says with a laugh. “For the first few years of my career, I just slapped on whatever and, to be honest, I still slap on whatever. But there’s a bit more thought behind it.”
