Meet Parker Hurley | Designer and Movement Professional

We had the good fortune of connecting with Parker Hurley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Parker, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I began Keeprwear for a few reasons… -It was my job to model clothing for nearly a decade. I’d often throw on an incredible jacket or neat pair of boots that I loved but I never felt that way about basic staples like t-shirts and tank-tops. All the tees and tanks I tried on were either covered in branding, irresponsibly made, or they fell apart. I wanted to create something that looked good on everyone, fit well, could be worn for just about anything, and something that would last.
-Mindfulness is a big part of my life. Ourpromotes the opposite – we expect things quickly and we rarely think about where they come from. If I was going to create something, it had to be something I could stand behind – not just the quality of the product itself but also how and where it was made.
-Keepr is a shortened version of the phrase ‘thats a keeper.’ I wanted to make a product that only gets better with age. I wanted to make clothing that you instinctually grab because you trust its going to look and feel good no matter what occasion.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The life of an artist is all over the place. You create because you have to – its a part of your identity. For me, art and movement are probably the most important activities in my life. In the same way that I feel gross if I don’t brush my teeth, I need to exercise and I need to create to feel good.

Regarding life as an artist, heck no it’s not easy. You really don’t have the security that other jobs offer. There are periods of massive creation followed by dry spells of no work at all. That is one of the take aways though – the best art comes from chaos. You can’t have those life-changing ideas and pieces of work without those moments of complete confusion and madness. As you grow, you learn to welcome those moments of chaos because you know, deep down, something good will come from it – something that a lot of people resonate with – because we all go through moments of chaos in our lives.

Keepr is an offshoot brand from my movement brand – Human Hero. If there is one thing I’d like people to take away from what I create is that you can’t have light without the dark. Everything has a purpose. All the craziness can provides lessons. Life is not linear and the more you can learn to move in your own way, on your own terms, the more enjoyable, exciting, and productive you will be.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So I live in Bali part of the year…. If one of my friends came to visit, I would ask some of my local friends to take us to a water temple. There we would pray and wash away anything that no longer served us. The rest of the week would be spent exploring waterfalls, climbing holy mountains, and hiking through rice fields. Getting around via scooter is a lot of fun too.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
About a decade ago when I first started modeling I worked for an Australian company called Zanerobe. The owner, Zane, told me he made clothes that he wanted to wear. Besides the push towards mindful consumerism and sustainability, one of the big goals with Keepr was creating clothes that I wanted to wear. I hate shopping and if I find something I like, I’d rather just buy a bunch in that color and not have to worry about it. I think Zane gave me the idea of creating things that I wanted to see in the world.

Website: keeprwear.com

Instagram: parker_hurley

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parker-hurley