At 7:00 am on January 27th — a late start Wednesday — students who would normally be sleeping in were frantically checking their computers and refreshing the Parke site. The speedy queue war for the Valentine’s Parke drop had begun, and within five minutes, it was sold out. 

The brand Parke has taken over SHP closets. Walking from Campbell to the Main building during passing periods, SHP looks like a Parke commercial; the embroidered logos, the sweatpants that look effortlessly put together, and the iconic mock necks are everywhere. Trends at SHP definitely move quickly, from Longchamps to the Alo sweat sets. Now Parke is the new addition to the list. 

How did this happen? What is all the rave really about? 

Perhaps it is the excitement around the clothing drop. Sofia Sequeira ‘28 said,“I just wasn’t planning on buying it. Ever. Then they did this Valentine’s drop that was really cute, and it kind of got me thinking maybe it was worth it, I caved.” Wilkes Rohlen ‘28 said, “My sister asked me to wake up for a drop at 7:00 am, so I could buy her the Valentine edition Parke drop. I told her there’s no chance I’m doing that.” If teenagers are willing to wake up early for something, it must be really special. “Drop culture” may be the reason these have gone so viral. Limited quantity and items that sell out in minutes make it feel like a competition that comes with an award

 However, recently there seems to be a decline in park clothing. Reagan Heinz ‘29 said, “Now everyone owns one, and it’s so expensive, I don’t even know if I’ll buy another.” Parke is so popular around campus that it’s becoming less and less special. When something becomes so common, does it have the same exclusivity appeal? Even if the Valentine’s Day drop sold in five minutes, is the Parke hype fizzling out?

It may be time to park the Parke.