Profile: Parisa Parnian
Born in Iran's capital, Tehran in 1972 and raised in Arizona.
Parisa studied fashion design at the Parsons School of Design in New York and worked at several clothing companies before establishing Rigged OUT/fitters, her own clothing label, in 2004. Fashion by Rigged OUT/fitters has been featured on the American hit drama The L Word, while the clothing line as a whole has come into the spotlight of the queer scene.

―What’s your main source of inspiration?

What inspires me most is the queer scene - where it’s about being an artist, being a musician, and being kind of edgy.

―I really like the look of your photo shoots. The look of the girls - they’re cool. How do you work?

I design my clothes, but I’m also the art director. I do the photo shoots, I’m on set, I’m the stylist, I pick the models, and I choose also the photographers.

―Are the photographers and models all lesbians?

Yes. I choose the models. They are not from agencies. They are people I meet - they are my friends. They're authentic. I put the clothes together myself, and I’m at the photo shoot the whole time. I’m completely involved in that. And because of that, because the photographs feel so authentic, the response I’m getting from the community is crazy. Everyday I have all these gay girls asking me to be a RIGGED model. Actually, it’s kind of funny. I've been asked so many times how many of the models I've slept with! (laughs)

―Oh! How many, then? (laughs)

Zero! The only model I slept with, was a woman who I slept with 2 years before I started RIGGED. She was my girlfriend.

―How long have you been doing your web site?

2 years.

―It's going well, after only 2 years.

Well, it’s been very hard. I do every aspect of my business. And I also run another business - a textile patterning company for the fashion industry. But I’ve just made a decision recently to dramatically cut down the amount of time I spend working for other companies. I realized that if I want Rigged to really succeed, I’ve got to make it my main concern. I’ve got to do everything from the web to the design to the photo shoot, and I don’t have enough time right now. Growth may seem fast, because I’ve gotten so much media attention - but it’s still slower than I’d like it to be.

―We met earlier this year at the 2006 Dinah Shore. Will you go again next year?　(Dinah Shore is said to be the biggest lesbian event in the world - with about 10,000 women gathering for 5 days in Palm Springs, California. http://www.thedinah.com)
Yes, I want to be able to do all that stuff. It was very successful. Most festivals are very successful, because you have women who are like excited to be celebrating - it’s special.

―I want to ask you a question for our Japanese readers. I often see “BOI” written with an “I” instead of “Y” in your clothes. What does that mean?

That means, it’s a boy who is a woman, instead of a born boy. That’s just one way to differentiate - because if you write “BOY”, it may appear to be a real boy.

―Right. Did you invent that term yourself or is it a popular expression?

I didn’t invent it, but I’m probably the first person to put it on clothing.

―Also could you tell me what “Queer N’ Dirty” means? I see it written on much of your clothing, but this concept is certainly not well known in Japan.

Ok. Well, I can't speak for all of America, but in the world I live in - that is, NY, San Francisco, LA, Chicago and all the large cities where gay folks go - in this world, I think the concept of lesbians and gays feels very old. It feels like it's from 20 years ago. The word “queer” is being used more and more because “queer” means you’re different, it covers a lot more than “gay”. It could be a woman who looks like a man and who dates a gay man and you’re queer. You could be a bisexual girl who dates men, and dates trannies, and dates cute boi girls, and you’re queer…

―It’s not just about sexuality, it’s about gender as well?

Yes, it covers more ground, it seems to be more modern. Because when you use the words “lesbian” or “gay”, it’s very black and white. Today, there are a lot of people who feel in between, you know. I label myself “queer” more than I do “lesbian”. Because when I think about “lesbian”, I think of two women who kind are like feminine - they have a home together and cats - and that’s not me at all! (laughs) I don’t know, it’s the new word that people are using. We feel more comfortable with it in more modern cities. If you go to Dinah Shore parties, there’s definitely a lot of 'lesbians'!

―(laughs)　Although in Japan the word “queer” is well known among the younger generations, it’s still very common to use the word “lesbian”. In fact I use it in my web magazine, because it’s better understood in Japan.

I understand. Also, there’s a new word on the street: “deep lez” (laughs). It’s totally new. It’s supposed to be funny! If, for example, you're in someone’s backyard, where there's a bonfire, and somebody brought a guitar and we start singing - then someone would have to say “This is DEEP LEZ!"

―(laughs) How funny!

Lesbian culture has now been around for long enough that we can make fun of it - like, the way our predecessors were in the seventies and the eighties, which is considered radical. So, if you see two women with a cat, it’s deep lez!! It’s a funny way to talk about stereotypes.

―(laughs) So, now back to “dirty”...

Right. A lot of my new stuff has “Queer N’ Dirty” printed on it. I came up with that, but I’m not the only one who uses it. “Dirty” means that you’re not afraid to admit you might be a little perverted - you’re a little naughty. So, when I use words like “Queer N’ Dirty” on my clothes, it’s more centered in having a sense of humor. It’s kind of like saying, “I’m a naughty queer”! And I’m walking around with it on my shirt (laughs). It’s just funny. Most of the things I do are rooted in my sense of humor. I don’t know how much those words translate into other cultures, but here it’s very popular.

―What are your plans for the coming months?

I’ll be moving my production facilities to Arizona for the next 6 months. And I'll travel back and forth between Arizona and NY during that time. I travel a lot - usually two weeks every month. My business is an international business, so it doesn’t matter where I’m located.

―What’s the direction of your next collection?

It’s actually going to move away from exploring an American identity and move more towards becoming global, because I’m really inspired by a lot of cultures - and I myself am from another culture. I think that will be really exciting. I want my next line to include stuff with words used in other cultures and countries. There’s a lot to explore, I don’t know, I’m kind of tired of American culture (laughs).