LGBTQ&A: Philly Fashion Week Founders Kevin Parker and Kerry Scott

Kevin Parker and Kerry Scott

Kevin Parker and Kerry Scott are the creators of Philly Fashion Week. We chat with the innovative duo on the runway’s 13th season, how Philly Fashion Week started, and how they’re breaking industry barriers through fashion.

Tell us a little bit about yourselves.
Kevin: I have been in the entertainment industry for many years. It all started with my dance education at University of the Arts. I left school to pursue modeling. Through my pursuit in modeling I met Kerry Scott. We noticed the lack of representation in the industry and the Philadelphia market. Due to this need Philly Fashion Week began. We have spent the last 15 years growing and developing this business. Kerry has a background in business management through real estate. Through our combined education of the industry what you see manifested on a yearly basis through our production.

How did you all come up with the epic experience that is Philly Fashion Week?
Kerry: It began as an agency and production company. We wanted to create opportunities for models that would otherwise go unrecognized. We wanted to put Philadelphia on the map as a place where fashion thrives and can grow. Philadelphia is widely thought of as an industrial labor town. We are much more than that, and through Philly Fashion Week we have shown the fashion elite the city should offer.

For 13 years — before that was a social trend– Philly Fashion Week has made it a point to include models and designers of all body sizes, ages, ethnicities, and gender/sexual identities. Why was it important for you all to be inclusive from the very beginning?
Kevin: Fashion is for everyone. There is no right size or look to fashion. The fashion industry should include all, and we have been very careful to make sure that we represent everyone that puts on a shirt, skirt or pants in the morning. Our desire is to make fashion inclusive, and that starts with the productions and designers that are showcased during those productions. Inclusion is important and can’t be ignored.

What is your advice to the LGBTQ community as it becomes more intersectional in the fashion industry?
Kerry: Our advice to the LGBTQ community is to continue to push the boundaries that are set by man’s limitations and seek to include all people in everything that you do.