Meet the Founder feat. Amy Parker Anderson of Honors
An interview with the co-Founder of the chic & functional golf-to-life concept
21st & 18th is a weekly Newsletter written by Lauren Lynch Wemple (@lolynchwemple). We discuss art, history and fashion as well as feature interviews with curators, art dealers, experts and voices in fashion. Subscribe to 21st & 18th for free at the button below.
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We’re back with Meet the Founder, the new interview segment on 21st & 18th that features the stories of female founders in the fashion and retail sector. Last week we spoke with Lily Kaizer of Happy Isles - wasn’t hearing from Lily wonderful?
Today it’s my pleasure to introduce to you, Reader, Amy Parker Anderson (@amyparkeranderson) the Chief Marketing Officer of Honors (@wearhonors), the team crafting modern, highly detailed women’s wear for golf and moments beyond the green.
It’s funny how life works. At present, you find me in Japan - I just left Tokyo and have traveled South to Yamaguchi Prefecture - and as I’m traveling around this wonderful country learning about its history and people, I can’t help but be in awe of how much the Japanese consider the design of, well, everything they use. From home goods, tote bags, the process of making coffee, cars, their metro and, perhaps most noticeable, the clothing they choose to wear each day.
So I’m traveling through Japan, grateful for every hour and experience here, and I can’t stop thinking about Japanese design, specifically Japanese fashion. Clothing designed in Japan is generally well made from high quality materials and meant to last. The silhouettes are flattering and the facets of pieces, ie. pockets, lining, where stitching hits your shoulder are all there for a reason. Also, interestingly the idea of a uniform reaches beyond pleats and navy blue and starched shirts, ie. men in navy blue suits going to work fits the bill as much as the matching sets of Harajuku-Girls do. Everything seems to have been thought out and designed for both life and personal style.
As I’m thinking about Japanese fashion, cue this week’s 21st & 18th Newsletter article: Meet the Founder feat. Amy Parker Anderson and her team at Honors, and it hits me, this intentionality in fashion is chasing me. Re-reading my conversation with Amy, I’m grateful for the people behind concepts who are thinking, really hard, about what they’re creating and why. Why is this useful? Why do I need this? How will this piece of clothing stand up to wear of life and the ravages of time? Is this trendy or classic? Before co-founding Honors, Amy was at Warby Parker1 for 11 years and is now building a concept that feels needed and thoughtful - I was curious to learn more about how and why she and her team do what they do.
We ponder these questions in our interview with Amy while also chatting about her favorite golf course to play, advice for fellow founders and what’s she’s currently obsessed with. I hope you enjoy the read.
LLW: Amy, for our Readers, would you introduce yourself?
APA: Hi! I’m Amy Parker Anderson, co-founder and CMO of Honors. After over a decade in NYC, my family and I now reside in Nashville, TN.
LLW: How did Honors come to be? What’s your founding story?
APA: My two co-founders, Huntley Rodes and Jenna Walter and I first got together to play a round almost three years ago. As a lifelong golfer, it was exciting to have other women to play with since growing up it was mostly me and the boys. We collectively felt we all had on outfits that we didn't love and that didn't match our aesthetics. Honestly, I showed up in cotton shorts and my husband's polo because it was oversized and I could style it better than anything I could find on the market for women. Afterward, over pizza and beers, the three of us quickly decided we needed to explore what it would look like to produce fashion forward golf attire for women.
LLW: What about golf? How long has golf been part of your life?
APA: I’ve played since I was a kid! Grew up playing with my dad and we have our annual family reunion on his side and everyone plays 9 holes of golf together. So it’s sort of a family sport. I went on to play in high school and did a junior PGA tour. Then took of a decade from playing while I lived in NYC and now, my dad and I live in the same city again and we try to play once a week during the warm months!
LLW: What is your favorite course to play?
APA: Maybe the local course from my childhood - Waveland Golf Course2 in Des Moines. I’ve just played it so many times that I essentially still have it memorized.
LLW: How does your team approach designing Honors pieces? What was important to you when crafting your core collection?
APA: Coming back into the game in my 30’s, it was wild to see that the options still available to women were the same ones that were around when I was a teenager. Men had a whole slew of new brands and fashion options now for the course, but women were still shopping the same ill-fitting polo shirts.
LLW: Totally, we need someone who gets the lady golfer.
APA: We really went into the design process thinking of every little detail from the mind of a female golfer. How does your arm swing? What movement do you need in the shorts to bend over and still feel comfortable. Every element was considered, reconsidered and fit tested. Once we had those elements in place, we then approached it from the perspective of staple clothing pieces we have in our closet - modern and not overly trendy. The goal was to create pieces that you want to wear with a pair of jeans out to dinner but it also happens to have the technical properties and design elements for you to play golf (or tennis) in as well…. but it can’t scream “you just played golf”. Which is what a lot of women’s options do. They feel like costumes.
LLW: Where can our Readers shop Honors?
APA: Currently, the most direct option is our website at wearhonors.com. We have a lot of fun pop-ups and events going on in various cities, which we always announce on our IG. Also, we launched our wholesale program this year and have partnered with select clubs and resorts.
To stay in the know of Honors’ events and pop-ups follow their team on Instagram here.
LLW: What advice would you give a fellow founder when they are: 1) just starting out and 2) feeling frustrated and considering quitting?
APA: Make it a point to constantly reach out to other founders, creatives, people who are also building and creating something. Best to try to find ones that are steps and years ahead of you. Always be seeking advice, listen to their stories and lessons. Helps keep things in perspective for you and also will give you alternative paths to take should you find yourself stuck within your own head on how to problem solve whatever issue has shown up that day.
LLW: Where do you go (or what do you do), outside of Honors, to find inspiration and refuel?
APA: Traveling is always inspiring for me, so it’s helpful that I’m on the road doing these trunk shows in different places. I love exploring little neighborhoods and cities. I recently took up tennis, which is the new thing I’m obsessed with mastering and it helps to clear my head. I always feel refreshed and energized after an hour of tennis.
LLW: What are you currently obsessed with?
APA: I’m currently obsessed with:
Anklets for summer. My fav always being from Jenny Bird.
Striped boxer shorts3 and an oversized button down will be my summer uniform
How perfect Juliet boxed wine is to take in a golf cart.
Are we supposed to do cold things or hot things? Like cold plunge vs infrared saunas. Can we pick a lane?
Ossa New York phone chains
Not drinking any coffee until after 10am
Thank you to Amy and her team at Honors for sharing their time with 21st & 18th. Isn’t it special to add all of these characters and personalities into the world of 21st & 18th?
I often think of 21st & 18th as a House, with multiple stories and rooms. A room for different topics of conversation, art, history, fashion and opinion, and through the front door we welcome time traveling Readers like you, founders like Amy, curators and historians and the historical figures we study and consider from our contemporary lens. It makes me happy to think of 21st & 18th House and all its people their personalities and experiences.
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Warby Parker revolutionized eyewear in 2010 with their at home try on kits and easy prescription glasses process. Learn more here.
In our opinion the best boxer shorts and sets come from Recreational Habits