By Kayden Breedlove
Like his Texas origins, alumnus Parker Kennedy (BS 18) had big dreams during his time at Ole Miss. While he didn’t know exactly what career path he wanted to pursue, time spent around campus at social events as well as his time as an events and catering manager led him to the path of entrepreneurship.
“I got to meet a lot of people, and I got the education that I needed to get,” Kennedy said. “I really learned how to be a business-oriented person.”
His bright, outgoing personality took the spotlight once he was on campus. From participating in RebelThon to raise money for the Children’s of Mississippi hospital to connecting with alumni and business people in Oxford, Parker began his academic career as an undecided major, but quickly found his home within the hospitality management program as a result of his involvement.
“It may not necessarily be what my parents want me to do, but when you have that opportunity and the freedom to choose what path that you want to go down, you just take it,” Kennedy said. “I knew design was at the back of my mind. I always wanted to do decor and home accessories, and I wanted to be around people in whatever I ended up doing.”
When deciding where to go to college, Kennedy toured many schools outside his home state of Texas. He had a few options, but the feeling of community and welcome that Ole Miss brought was unrivaled.
“Being from Texas, I’m accustomed to everything being large, and the big seal really stood out to me. The campus was big and there were a ton of people, but it still had a small town feel which I really liked,” he said.
While working with the company Debutante Farmer catering and hosting events, Kennedy fell even more in love with the idea of creating not only a career where he could interact with clients on a daily basis, but also with the idea of creation and curation in their most basic sense. His passion for design grew throughout his time at Ole Miss and continued after graduation when he decided to move to New Orleans to begin working in the interior design industry.
“I dove headfirst into working with interiors and boutiques the summer after I graduated,” he said. “I wanted to move around and get as much experience and knowledge as I could.”
Pushed on by the familiarity of the field that he gained in the years after his graduation, Kennedy woke up one day and decided that it was time to take on the challenge. Piqué by Parker Kennedy was born in November 2020.
“I completely stopped what I was doing and started to style stuff,” he said. “It takes a while to get all of the business stuff taken care of, getting taxes and all of that approved, but once I did, the website rolled out and then I was getting sales from people within my store in 28 days. It was awesome.”
Despite COVID-19 beginning right after the start of his business, the interior designer found himself persevering. Because people were spending a large amount of time in their homes rather than in their offices or schools, many began to question the interior that they were looking at.
“There was so much goodness that people were willing to do because they were in their house and realizing that ‘This stuff is old, I really need something new and this person can do it for me virtually,’” Kennedy said.
Though it was disheartening to not be in direct contact with people, the act of helping clients improve a large part of their lives by offering his creativity to them was rewarding.
There has been no shortage of obstacles for Kennedy, including the constantly changing trends of the interior design industry, but his passion and family serve as motivation to continue to strive for greatness.
“I know it sounds a little silly, but my small family, including my dog and my husband, are a huge part of my motivation. I find that working for that and towards that is what gives you purpose,” he said.
With his first storefront opening this fall in New Orleans, Kennedy looks to his future with an optimistic attitude and urges those who have an interest in following a similar path to do the same.
