David Zatchij, Digital Director at Park Agencies, discusses the appeal of apparel inspired by The Godfather

David, welcome! You’re Digital Director at Park Agencies. What does the company do?
Park Agencies designs and supplies merchandise and apparel for brands. Founded in 2004, we’ve been building relationships, and developing the fashion market ever since.

And what kind of properties do you cover?
It’s a wide range. We cover popular culture, TV, entertainment, fashion, character, foods, drinks, and confectionary. Since the beginning, we’ve maintained close relationships with key buyers, brand developers and retail groups throughout Europe and the USA.

How did you come to be there, David? What’s your background?
I’ve been in the rag trade, man and boy. I’ve been lucky to experience the journey of fashion and streetwear from strictly bricks and mortar in the 90s, through mail order and the advent of the internet.

And when you say “man and boy” – lovely phrase, by the way – you mean that literally?
Yes. I left school at 15 and opened a shop selling clothes for ravers while putting on parties!

No way! Go on…
Well, from there I got a job with a local company and was part of a small team that grew a skate and streetwear retailer. We went from one shop to twenty in the UK, and led the transition into an online proposition that’s still going from strength to strength. Then, prior to joining Park Agencies at the start of 2022, I spent 13 years heading up the product and direct to customer business for Push Entertainment.

Push Entertainment? What do they do?
They’re a digital company that’s been at the forefront of manufacture on demand in the entertainment and brand space since 2010. So I’ve been a unique journey through product development, design and technology.

What keeps you busy, day to day?
I’m in charge of all things online and direct to consumer. While Park Agencies is a well-established licensing business that works with the best in its field, I’m passionate that Park Digital thinks and acts like a start-up.

Interesting. Much on?
Ha! Yes, it’s keeping me very busy! We’ve launched four stores this year and we’re now working on finding the right partnerships and audiences for each different proposition.

And do those propositions all have sites of their own? We can put links in here if they do: let people explore…
Great! They do; there are four websites at the moment: https://park.london/,
https://park-fields.com/, https://princeoffcourt.co.uk/ and https://extremeofficial.store/. Outside all that, I have three beautiful daughters and an old dog that needs much love and attention. I’m also busy trying to figure out how to be less busy.

Ha! A common problem! Let me ask you this, David: how important is creativity in what you do?
At heart, I’m a buyer and a magpie. I like things that appeal to me aesthetically at a design level. I realised early on that if I don’t feel passionate about the projects I’m working on, I lose interest very quickly. I also understood that being a graphic designer or technical product maker required too much patience and dedication for my attention span. I enjoy being at the heart of the creative process and working with people that are much more talented than myself.

And how do you stay creative?
Hmmmm. You know, so far that’s not been a question I’ve had to consider. I think for most creatives, it’s a way of being, rather than something to maintain. I’m lucky that my role at Park Agencies is a healthy mixture of creative and commercial.

Speaking of which, Park Agencies is launching a new line of apparel, inspired by The Godfather, on https://park.london/. How did that come about?
We work closely with Paramount Pictures… They’re incredibly supportive about exploring different directions for their properties. As a start-up digital business, it’s really exciting for Park Digital to partner with a company and brand that reaches so many generations of fans. From day one, they challenged us to think outside the box and deliver them a proposition that hadn’t been seen in the market.

Which you seem to have done! Personally, I think these designs are hugely different from what people might expect.
You’re right, we want to dig deeper into the core of the narratives of the stories that we represent.

We’ll put pictures of the range in here, obviously, so people can see what we’re talking about. But why food?
We can all quote scenes that are set in – and remember the names of – fictional restaurants or bars… We took inspiration from that and decided to create a range of products that looked like authentic 1970’s collections from the Genco Olive Oil Company and Louis Restaurant – fictional businesses that feature in The Godfather.

How did you go about that?
We made sure the designs and graphics looked totally different, so they were clearly two different companies. We included ringer t-shirts and snapback trucker and dad caps to really inject that 70’s feel into the range. To double down on the authenticity, we also introduced premium chefs clothing including a chef’s jacket featuring a Genco embroidery and a Louis restaurant apron.

Brilliant.
Finally, we have two limited edition pieces a hoodie and an oversize t-shirt. These feature metallic and gold prints. Definitely, for the super fans.

David, we need to wrap this up… Just before we do: what’s the one question I should’ve asked you today, but didn’t?
What’s next for Park London?

And what’s the answer?
In the next couple of months, we have exclusive drops celebrating important dates for The Lost Boys, Atari, Black Adam, E.T. and many more. Give Park.London a follow, this is just the beginning…

Done! David, thank you for your time.